This project investigates how police officers enter and manage crime data, focusing on workflows used by the University of California Police Department (UCPD). Law enforcement agencies rely heavily on digital systems like Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management Systems (RMS) to log incidents and produce official crime reports. However, the way these systems are used in practice can influence the accuracy, consistency, and long-term usability of the data. The study uses a combination of direct observation, document analysis, and, if feasible, ride alongs with UCPD officers. Observations focus on how officers interact with data systems during patrol and how incident details are classified, entered, and finalized. I am also conducting a qualitative analysis of publicly available crime reports to better understand how field-collected data is transformed into official statistics. Pending IRB approval, I may incorporate audio (and if permitted, video) recordings to better capture the real-time use of reporting systems. This project does not evaluate officer behavior or decision making but rather examines workflows and technology systems. By mapping the path data takes from the field to the file, the study highlights areas where reporting systems could be improved to support officer efficiency, improve accuracy, and contribute to more transparent law enforcement data practices.

In recent decades, the disproportionate concentration of gang violence and incarceration rates in communities of color throughout the U.S. has led to a variety of community interventions aimed at supporting youth navigating these realities. In 2023, 86% of Los Angeles’ 327 murder victims were Black or Latinx; meanwhile from 2016-2024, 94.5% of Chicago’s 4,878 murder victims were identified as Black or Latinx despite the city’s population being split nearly evenly amongst its Latinx, Black, and White populations. Existing research has revealed the intergenerational effects of mass incarceration and gang violence which include physiological consequences, disrupted family structures, diminished access to educational and economic opportunities, and entrenched poverty. Despite scholars identifying the transformative potential of education to address systemic inequities, little research has explored youth-consciousness building as a disruptor of these cycles. This project seeks to address this gap by engaging formerly incarcerated youth in co-developing a curriculum informed by their experiences and insights, facilitating critical discussion linking personal and collective experiences to broader systemic structures, and empowering youth to analyze and disrupt the intergenerational impacts of gang violence and mass incarceration. Findings will contribute to understand the critical components of education aimed at reducing violence and incarceration rates by building community through culturally-relevant educational practices.

The Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program provides Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) to young adults who are aging out of foster care. Recent reports demonstrate the number of FYI HCVs available to young adults exiting foster care has increased at the county-level in Los Angeles. Nonetheless, FYI HCVs are still underutilized in both the County and City of LA. Our aims are to understand the barriers and facilitators to FYI HCV uptake, use, and maintenance in Los Angeles. Case study methods, including interviews and surveys, facilitated an in-depth and multi-perspective investigation into the FYI program by drawing on the experiences of three stakeholder groups: young adults, property managers, and case managers. Preliminary findings reveal system barriers to FYI HCV uptake are rooted in the program’s structure (e.g., delayed voucher processes and limited voucher availability in desired geographic areas) and lack of communication regarding the application and approval processes. Findings also suggest systems facilitate FYI HCV uptake when community-based organizations and the Department of Children and Family Services are connected and work in coordination to support youth. Continued data analysis will reveal additional components contributing to FYI HCV uptake and maintenance. By understanding these components, we will create policy recommendations to advocate for the needs of transition-age foster youth seeking housing support through the FYI Housing Choice Voucher.

As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes social institutions, universities worldwide face growing uncertainty about their organizational roles and identities. At institutions like UCLA, misalignment is increasingly apparent through tensions between the aspirational values articulated in mission statements and the market-oriented logics driving institutional decision-making. Despite this, higher education lacks a clear framework for understanding how technological disruptions could reshape its core processes and purposes. My study addresses this gap by drawing on organizational theory—specifically the concepts of institutional logics and the resulting “mission sprawl”—to analyze how universities are responding to the competing normative pressures of innovation, equity, and market relevance. Using a cross-national comparative analysis of mission statements from universities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, my research offers insights into how institutions may reframe their roles in the emerging information society and reconcile conflicting logics. By examining the link between market logics and changes in academic mission statements in response to technological changes, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how universities may position themselves in an increasingly globalized and digitized educational landscape.