The following students are 2023 graduates of the UChicago Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences or the Master of Public Policy Program in the Harris School of Public Policy, who additionally completed a certificate program in Education and Society administered by the Committee on Education.

Yihan Chen

Thesis: Exploring Parent-Child Talk About Fractions: Patterns and Implications

Tamun Hanjra

Thesis: How Children Value Lives: The Framing Effect and Decision Making in Children

She is currently a Research Study Coordinator at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamunhanjra

Olivia Kusuma

Thesis: The Impacts of the Model Minority and Perpetual Foreigner Stereotypes on Southeast Asian American (SEAA) Student Educational Attainment

She is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Policy Studies at UW Madison (and working with Dr. Stacey Lee)

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviakusuma

Jierui Li

Thesis: Harder Course, Higher Score? Exploring the Heterogeneous Effects of Eighth-grade Algebra Enrollment on Average Math Achievement

They are currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at Ohio State University

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jierui-li-154b22275/

Joanna Mendoza

Thesis: Transmission of the Valuations of Human Lives Between Mother and Child

She is currently a Research Project Coordinator at Northwestern University

LinkedInProfile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannammendoza/

Katherine Shah

Thesis: Traversing the City: Examining the Impacts of Extended Commute on Student Wellbeing & High School Experience in Chicago

She is currently a Program Manager for Ming-Te Wang’s Development-in-Sociocultural-Contexts Lab at Crown Family School of Social Work Policy and Practice

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-shah 

Mia Thacker

Thesis: Things Little Ears Might Not Want to Hear: Disgust Rhetoric and Conservative Sex Education Discourse

 She is currently a Writing Advisor in the University of Chicago Writing Center

Yushu Zhang

Thesis: Are there educational and psychological benefits from parental school involvement for early adolescents? Evidence from the China Educational Panel Survey (CEPS)

She is currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at New York University, Shanghai 

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yushu-zhang-063295190/ 

Nícolas Zatta Soares D’Azevedo (Harris)

Thesis: Uncovering the Crucial Role of School Districts in Brazilian Education: An Empirical Analysis

Nícolas is currently a Policy Analyst for Center for Early Learning Funding Equity at Northern Illinois University

LinkedIn Profile: https://br.linkedin.com/in/n%C3%ADcolas-d-azevedo

Sarah Heffley (Harris)

Thesis: Language Development in Brain-Injured Children: An Exploration of Speech Therapy and Parental Responsiveness in Early Childhood

Sarah is currently a Research Technician on the Curriculum Team at the Unversity of Chicago’s Thirty Million Words Center 

Brendon Krall (Harris)

Thesis: Does the effect of a growth mindset intervention differ by English Language Learner status?

Brendon is currently a Research Project Manager, Annenberg Institute – Brown University