Recent NU2Gen Alumni

Summer 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistants: Institute for Policy Research - Northwestern University

 

Divya Gupta was a research assistant for the Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Initiative at the Institute for Policy Research. She graduated in 2025 with a B.S.J. in Journalism and Economics with a minor in Data Science.

 

 

 

 

Mia Xia was a research assistant for the Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Initiative at the Institute for Policy Research. She graduated in 2025 with a B.S. in Social Policy and American Studies with a minor in Data Science and Civic Engagement Certificate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eman Kasha Akhtar was a part-time research assistant for the Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Institute at the Institute for Policy Research. She held a position as a research assistant in the Education Statistics division at American Institutes for Research. She graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Social Policy and Statistics from Northwestern University. She was also community co-president of QUEST+, Northwestern’s first-generation and low-income student organization. 

 

 

 

Hope Salvador was the Research Project Coordinator for the Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Institute at the Institute for Policy Research. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2022 with a B.S. in Human Development and Psychological Services, Psychology, and Global Health.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atiya Addie was a Research Study Coordinator Senior at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research. She supported NU2Gen strategy, dissemination, and policy-relevant research specifically, for the HOPE Toledo Study. Prior to joining Northwestern, Atiya served as a lead researcher examining kindergarten teachers’ use of emotional prosody in the classroom at University of Michigan’s School of Education. She also conducted mixed methods research on gender and Black college student mental health help seeking at University of Michigan’s School of Psychology (alma mater). Atiya holds a BA in Psychology and returned to University of Michigan in 2021 to pursue her PhD in Education and Psychology.

 

 

 

 

Leo Chang was a research assistant for the Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Institute at the Institute for Policy Research. He studied Mathematics, Economics, and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Ross graduated with a BA in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics at Northwestern University. He was a quantitative research assistant for the DEEP Lab and works with the Institute for Policy Research. Daniel had been researching neighborhood characteristics that influence child outcomes: amassing and analyzing green space, segregation, and crime data. Daniel also worked with the NU2Gen Lab to measure the existence of a college-bound identity in children using puppet interview data.

 

 

 

 

Caleb Li was a quantitative research assistant for the  Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Initiative at the Institute for Policy Research. He studied Economics, Statistics, and pursuing the Kellogg Financial Economics certificate.

 

 

 

 

Sally Kim was a research assistant for the Northwestern University Two-Generation Research Initiative at the Institute for Policy Research. She was in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Economics and Statistics.

 

 

 

 

 

Marisa Sclafani was a Research Manager at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research (2018-2020). She supported NU2Gen with strategy, dissemination, and policy-relevant research on child and parent language acquisition. She received her a BA from UNC Chapel Hill in 2018 with a major in Global Studies. Marisa conducted qualitative research on immigration at the University of Bologna, Italy, analyzed cultural predictors of youth caregiving in the US and Puerto Rico and is trilingual. She pursued a MA in Quantitative Management and Health Analytics from Duke University.

 

 

 

Caroline Werner was a qualitative research assistant for the NU Two-Generation Research Initiative at the Institute for Policy Research (20-2020). She contributed to the research by coding NU2Gen parent focus groups. She graduated with a BA in Social Policy and Political Science.

 

 

 

 

Kenn Dela Cruz was a Mixed Methods Research Manager at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research (2017-2020). He received his BA from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2013 with a major in Psychology and a double minor in Applied Developmental Psychology and Education Studies. Kenn then received his MA in Developmental Psychology from San Francisco State University in 2017, where he also completed his master’s thesis exploring the cultural influences on the relationship between children’s cognitive skills and empathy development. Kenn pursued a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Virginia.

 

 

 

Reena Burt was a mixed methods research assistant for the Two-Generation Initiative at the Institute of Policy Research (2016-2020). She analyzed and helped develop the coding process for NU2Gen child focus groups. She also assisted with the piloting process of a new puppet interview application and coded puppet and gift task videos for the CAP Family Life study. Reena graduated from Northwestern in 2020 with a double major in social policy and economics.