About me:
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Politics and Social Policy
at Princeton University.
I study American political behavior, race and ethnic politics, political psychology, and political communication with a specific focus on Latino politics.
In my dissertation, titled "Misengaged, Not Disengaged: How Campaigns Reach Latino Voters Using Economic Messaging," I address why Latino voters have not shifted towards supporting Democrats despite partisan polarization on immigration and racial issues generally. Using CMAG television ad data, I show that Latinos are disproportionately exposed to immigration messaging over other topics. In two survey experiments exposing nationally representative samples of Latino voters to various campaign messages, I find that immigration rhetoric is generally more polarizing than persuasive. Meanwhile, I find that messaging on economics and social services (from either party) has greater persuasive potential. Campaigning on and enacting such policies, I argue, may be the key to addressing disengagement and alienation among Latinos.
Background:
I received my BA in Political Science with a minor in Feminist Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before then, I was born in Austin, Texas, where my parents met, and I also lived in San Jose, California. My mom's family is French-Canadian while my dad's is Salvadoran and Anglo-American, and I'm incredibly lucky to have all of their support.
In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my cats (and other people, I guess), playing video games, reading fantasy and science fiction, and putting my heart and soul into karaoke nights.