I am a PhD student in the Economics Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. My research interests are in the fields of applied microeconomics and the economics of education. Specifically, my research focuses on factors contributing to educational attainment of individuals. Currently, I am working on a project that examines the role of local minimum wage policies in determining a potential student’s decision between work and education. In another study, I utilize a simple economic model to analyze the relationship between sexual orientation and educational attainment in presence of discrimination.