My name is Kassandra Hernandez. I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Economics at UC Berkeley. Trained in labor economics and public finance, I study how public policy exacerbates or mitigates inequality, particularly for low-wage workers and immigrants.

Currently, I am a Graduate Student Researcher with the Low-wage Work (LWW) team at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, where I co-built the “Low-wage Work in California Data Explorer.” Before joining LWW, I supported work on social safety net program usage and college student success through the California Policy Lab.

I hold an M.P.P. and a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Labor & Workplace Studies, both from UCLA, and am an alumna of the American Economic Association Summer Program (AEASP).

I am a proud Californian, daughter of Mexican immigrants, and first-generation college student. In my free time, I immerse myself in nature—mostly running, cycling, camping, and backpacking. I completed my first marathon in March 2024 in Napa, inspired by my childhood growing up on a vineyard in the Santa Monica mountains.

mountains