Gael Fonseca Gutierrez, Thesis Student
Gael is a senior majoring in Economics and minoring in Data science. Regarding research, he is interested in investigating how behavioral biases continue to impact income and wealth inequality across varying demographic identities - particularly between ethnic groups and across socioeconomic status - along with our perceptions of such disparities across time. Outside of the lab, he is interested in researching public equities and serves as an equity researcher and portfolio risk manager for the on-campus investment club Blacskies Investments. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, hiking, and reading books. Gael spent the past summer working as a wildland firefighter in Oregon.
Trisha Nguyen, Haas Scholar
Trisha Nguyen (she/her) is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she dedicates much of her work to bringing disabled voices and perspectives to academia. Trisha’s work at the HIGHER Lab pushes towards a critical examination of merit as a constructed concept and how merit operates when applied to disabled individuals. She uses research as a form of advocacy and is driven to continue doing so even after her time at Cal. Outside of academia, she likes spending time with two chaotic dogs (Tsuki & Moji), eating good food with family and friends, and binge-watching horror movies!
Katherine Kussler, Thesis Student
I’ve been a research assistant in the HIGHER Lab since August 2022, where I’ve worked on projects exploring political psychology, Social Dominance Orientation, Person-Environment Fit, and empathy. My honors thesis investigates how emotions influence support for healthcare policy. Specifically, I examine how empathy and counter-empathy shape attitudes toward healthcare policies which benefit or harm various marginalized communities. As a Psychology and Public Health double major, this thesis was the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for both subjects and apply the research tools and theoretical concepts I’d developed through my my time in the lab!