I received my MA and PhD in Political Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I specialized in comparative politics with an emphasis on Latin America. My research examines three main questions: why are some groups more likely to organize and protest? Why are some groups relatively more successful than others in advancing their political/economic interests? And, how do dynamics of social and political contention promote democracy? I have published on issues pertaining Chilean labor politics and women’s social and political participation in Latin America.  My current research focuses on Latin-American student movements and seeks to explain why student mobilization varies across the region.