Emma Vetter has made the most of her time at American University. While earning her MA in Sociology Research and Practice, she’s worked as research assistant for three professors, learning new skills along the way.

It’s all prepared her for the next big step in her academic career: Emma is in the process of applying to three PhD programs, and she’s already been accepted to one.

My combined research experiences with the Department of Sociology have allowed me to better understand how research moves from ideas to theory, research questions, and hypotheses. These opportunities have shown me how sociological methods can capture the lived experiences of overlooked communities. I am very grateful for my time at AU and with the sociology department for helping me grow academically.

As a research assistant, Emma’s work has ranged greatly. Working with Professor Nicole Angotti, she executed independent, in-person observations and interviews to pilot research methods. She also composed field notes and created observation protocol instructions. Working in Professor Ernesto Castañeda’s Immigration Lab, Emma researched social determinants of health and worked as the third author on a peer-reviewed journal article about health disparities (Journal of Migration and Health). For Professor Gay Young, Emma is examining the role of collective emotions in the 2020 presidential election.

At AU Rebekah led Alternative Break trips to South Africa and Haiti. She worked as a research assistant, a TA, and the research project coordinator for a study on perceptions of HIV and HIV testing among African American and East African-born women in DC.

My main research interests include race, class, and gender disparities in health.

After graduation, she worked for the Black AIDS Institute and as Assistant Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She is pursuing a PhD at UCLA, studying the impact of racism on public health.