Jessica Zhang
Jessica is an undergraduate student at the Johns Hopkins University majoring in International Studies and Economics with a Social Policy minor.
At PIRL, Jessica is assisting with the CMTO study on housing mobility and the HPHK project on educational opportunities for children. During Jessica’s freshman year at Johns Hopkins, she interned at a grassroots criminal justice nonprofit in Baltimore, which ignited her interest in how the criminal justice system disproportionately impacts marginalized populations and promotes structural barriers to housing, education, and employment. She hopes to build upon her applied-research skills at PIRL and eventually use them to facilitate policy reforms for low-income, justice-involved communities. Jessica will be graduating in the spring of 2021 and plans to take a couple gap years before attending law school to become a public interest lawyer. In her spare time, she loves thrifting, hiking, and trying out recipes from around the world.
Research Interests: Educational access and housing mobility for justice-involved communities
Research Projects: CMTO, HPHK
Favorite Places to Go in Baltimore: The Kabul (Downtown), Kong (Station North), Hunting Ground (Hampden), American Visionary Art Museum (Federal Hill)