A Dallas native, Esmeralda Sanchez is a Master of Science student in Applied Sociology at The University of Texas at Dallas and a research associate for the Center for Child and Community Development at Southern Methodist University (SMU). At the Center, Esmeralda manages research and programmatic activities for two federally funded projects designed to connect research, pedagogy and curriculum in school settings. An advocate for underrepresented students, she served as the director for the Hispanic College Fund’s largest Hispanic Youth Institute, a college empowerment program for underserved youth, overseeing all programmatic efforts for the State of Texas. Esmeralda earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs and Spanish with a minor in French from SMU. Esmeralda is looking forward to interning with The Education Trust in Washington, D.C.