I graduated summa cum laude in June 2024 from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a BA in Sociology and Political Science. During my senior year, I completed two senior theses, one in sociology and the other in political science. Both theses won the best thesis prize in the respective department.
My sociology thesis was a historical-comparative analysis of union organizing strategies, with a focus on construction unions. I examined how the organizing strategies used by construction unions shape their comparatively employer-friendly political stances and how their organizing model weakens their ability to challenge management and defend workers’ interests.
My political science thesis explored the relationship between economic inequality, gentrification, and police killings. Using census tract household income data and the Urban Displacement Project’s gentrification typologies, I analyzed how interactions between race, economic inequality, and gentrification influence the probability of police killings. I hope this research contributes to a better understanding of the phenomenon and how to combat it.