Shania Kuo

PhD Student,

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Sociology Department

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Shania, and I'm a PhD Student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities.

Research Interests

My research interests broadly surround Asian and Asian American identity, exploring the intersections of race, gender, and class in cases such as education, aging, caregiving, and health. With an emphasis on the lived experiences of Asian Americans, she explores how cultural, emotional, and identity-based factors shape community dynamics, racial solidarity, and individual and family well-being.

You can find my public-facing work in The Society Pages, where I write sociological features on Asian American perspectives towards affirmative action and monolithic views of Asian American identity as well as topics of health and illness across the life course.

My research has been supported by the Kirkland Endowment and the Levitt Public Affairs Center at Hamilton College, the Edelstein Family Foundation, the Beverly and Fink Research Fellowship, the Diversity of Views & Experience (DOVE) Fellowship, and the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation (CHAI) at the University of Minnesota.

Photo Credit: Janelle Rodriguez

Recent News (last three years)

October 2025
- I'll be attending the Complexity in the Social World: The Challenging Case of Structural Racism symposium from October 9-10! Thank you to the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research for providing me with a travel award to attend this amazing opportunity!
August 2025
- I presented at a roundtable (Soc of Race and Ethnicity: Racial Politics, Whitelash) and a panel (Technology and Organization of Family Life) at the American Sociological Association's Annual Meeting in Chicago.
June 2025
- I attended and presented my work with Mahala Dyer Stewart and Rongchen Wang (incoming PhD student at Rice University) at the biannual Carework Network Conference and attended a pre-conference workshop on what data is available on caregivers.
May 2025
- The article published by Sally Adams in March was featured on UMN's website for AAPI month! Please read what other amazing AAPI scholars and folks are doing here!
- I presented a paper on food and culture at UMN Sociology's Sociological Research Institute (SRI) alongside Daniel Cueto-Villalobos. I'm extremely honored to have received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award!
April 2025
- I presented my research on Asian American college students and racialized organizations at the Association for Asian American Studies in Boston! I am also honored to be supported by AAPI Data in attending as a Public Persuasion Project scholar!
March 2025
- My summer research with my advisor, Laura Garbes, was featured on UMN's website! Please read this article written by Sally Adams.
December 2024
- I am honored to announce I am a recipient of the 2024-2025 Shelley Joseph-Kordell Scholarship from the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation (CHAI)!
August 2024
- Attended ASA's Annual Meeting in Montreal, where I presented at the Asia and Asian American Roundtables on Asian American panethnicity among college students during COVID!
April 2024
- My publication with Spark Magazine is live! "Caring to the Bone" is a memoir-style piece that links my experience as a caregiver for older adults with empirical work
August 2023
- Began my PhD program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities after moving to Minneapolis and participating in the Summer Research Institute hosted by the University as a DOVE Fellow!

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