Sherell Jeudi, an undergraduate public policy student, will be working as a summer research assistant with the Center for Justice, Law, and Societies (CJLS) and SBS RISE. Professor Bridgette Davis will be her mentor.
Jeudi took Professor Bridgette Davis’s course Policy in the Age of Precarity this spring 2023. When asked about the course, she explained that she appreciated the discussion-based format, sharing “We discussed the readings and related them back to our own lives, which allowed us to establish a supportive class environment, be more passionate, and be more critical in how we see our transition into adulthood as young adults.” Jeudi flourished in the course, and it led her to apply for and earn a Summer Research Assistantship.
Together, Jeudi and Davis will investigate the burdens associated with obtaining need-based financial aid and/or student loan debt relief, the ways these burdens can be reduced, and the participant’s experiences of power, privilege, and the politicization of their efforts to obtain funding for a college degree. Jeudi explained that the research will allow her to investigate how people who are low-income, first generation, and underrepresented continue to higher education. She shares, “What enticed me to get involved is, as someone who closely relates to these identities, I think it is inspiring to be able to hear their stories and elevate their experiences of overcoming setbacks and achieving success however that looks like for them.”
When asked what she was looking forward to most about this experience, Jeudi replied, “I am most excited about learning about what the research process looks like in a social science setting. I am also very excited about the training sessions I will be attending that will help me in starting to build my skills.”