Vanessa Woods is originally from Trumbull, Connecticut but moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to obtain her undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a joint degree in Government-Public Policy. She was heavily involved with her on-campus community along with her community in her home-town and is excited to join the Duke community. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she relocated to New York City and worked for a non-profit organization where she focused on establishing and advancing their advocacy and public policy work. Vanessa’s interests include education/social policy, specifically focusing on the intersections between education, race, and gender as it relates to economic mobility.