She received her Ph.D. in Sociology at UCLA, her Masters degree in Education at UC Berkeley, and her B.A. in Sociology at Harvard University. Her research focuses on youth transitions to adulthood, civic engagement, social inequality, and immigrant integration. She is the principal investigator of the California Young Adult Study and the Youth Leadership and Health Study. Much of her research has implications for policies affecting low-income communities of color. Her research has been published in the American Sociological Review, Social Problems, Social Science & Medicine, Education Policy, and various other journals.