PhD-Public Affairs, Student Bios Entry Term 2016

smit8385@umn.edu

AshLee Smith Garrett received her BA in Anthropology from Louisiana State University (LSU - Geaux Tigers!). She is a recipient of the Diversity of Views and Experience (DOVE) fellowship at the University of Minnesota and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP). Her goal is to pursue a research career in academia, at a think tank, or with a government organization. AshLee's research interests focus on social policy at the federal and state level, poverty, inequality, and the intersection between policy design, civic participation, and race. Her policy areas of interest are situated in the criminal justice system and the child welfare system. As a result of her life experiences, she is passionate about studying public policy and applying her research to the real world surrounding the lives of the vulnerable in the U.S. In addition to her research, she actively participates in the university's governance as the HHH Student Senator, HHH PhD COGS Representative, and a Committee Member for the HHH PhD Student Committee. AshLee was born and raised outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their two dogs. She enjoys reading fiction books, baking, playing board games, and spending time outdoors through hiking and biking.

leex5172@umn.edu

Sangyoo Lee, a native of South Korea, has an undergraduate degree in Economics from University of Minnesota and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Humphrey School (2016) where she was the recipient of the James E. Jernberg Public Service Fellowship. Lee has worked at the Human Capital Research Collaborative (HCRC) as a graduate research assistant conducting research on the impact of a high quality early childhood education program on students’ later academic achievement. For her professional paper, Lee examined the effect of early childhood education on school readiness skills comparing children of immigrant parents and children of native born parents. Lee’s primary research interests are in the effects of early childhood intervention on children’s educational outcomes and adult well-being, and in the application of this research to public policies. She is particularly interested in population-based studies, by race/ethnicity and immigrant minority populations, looking at disparities of educational outcomes and economic well-being in diverse urban settings.

wuxx1088@umn.edu

Xinyi Wu earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Renmin University of China and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) from the Humphrey School. During her undergraduate study, she interned in a local city planning institute doing land use and regional planning work. As a research assistant, she worked with Professor Greg Lindsey, studying the demand forecasting of non-motorized transportation. She also participated in research on satisfaction of transit passengers with Professor Jason Cao. While a MURP student, Xinyi worked as the training program assistant at the University of Minnesota’s China Center. In the PhD program, she will continue research regarding public transit and neighborhood satisfaction.

xuxx0460@umn.edu

Man Xu, a native of China, received her Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the Humphrey School. Her PhD study interests are the intersection of public policy, labor economics, and racial and income inequality. She has been involved in several modeling disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) and race-neutral remedies programs in the U.S, and participated in the minimum wage study of the City of Minneapolis. Xu co-authored a book chapter, Language, education and health for children in rural minority areas of seven western provinces. Her MPP professional paper was an empirical study of household level determinants of educational attainment for young females.