During my time at SMU, I have committed to supporting the University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives through my research, teaching initiatives, and service to committees. At a campus whose student body is made up by people of diverse race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and neurodiversity, it is imperative that my professional activities foster an institutional culture where all people can feel belonging.
At SMU, I served on the Dedman College Student Advisory Board created by the Dedman College Diversity and Inclusion office to advise the Dean on the emerging needs and expectations of students from varying backgrounds and demographic groups. I was selected to inform the Dean on the needs of social science PhD students, as well as accommodation accessibility for student’s with ADHD and other neurodiversity needs.
I am an advisor for an undergraduate student, Andrew Farhat, on the Robert Meyer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for his research on “Mental Health and Stigma in Students of Immigrant Families at SMU.” His work is sponsored through the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute. I also served as the president of the Graduate Economics Club, where I helped established the peer mentor program for incoming students. In this role, I also helped sponsor departmental lunches to celebrate non-Western holidays (such as Diwali and Chinese New Year) as a way of fostering an inclusive environment for our international students.
I have also had an active role in working with campus religious life organizations to provide more open and welcoming spaces for students of LGBTQIA+ backgrounds. I was a digital communications director for UKirk SMU, the only fully LGBTQIA+ affirming campus ministry at SMU. In this role, I also spoke at interfaith dialogue events, such as a joint Ramadan dinner with the Muslim Student Association and Ukirk SMU. I served on the student advisory search committee for the campus chaplain. In this role, I expressed the importance of choosing a chaplain whose goals and policies aligned with supporting and welcoming the diverse religious backgrounds present at SMU.
My research initiatives highlight economic and health disparities which stem from demographic differences. For example, in my job market paper I measure the labor market impact of an ADHD diagnosis for a child who likely has ADHD. I acknowledge that socioeconomic characteristics, such as race and gender, are determinants of a child receiving a correct diagnosis while not being determinants of a child having ADHD. This results in a situation where non-white children are more likely to be trapped in a vicious intergenerational cycle, further widening income gaps between racial groups.
In my research and professional life, I strive to produce work and mentorship which fosters an inclusive and supportive institutional environment. By doing so, it helps to create a work and learning space which fosters diversity and belonging.