Since High School, the intersection between health and social justice has been a profound passion of mine. I was hoping to get involved with research at UCLA; however, I struggled to find a lab that focused on what I was genuinely passionate about. Learning about Carceral Ecologies was incredibly exciting because I had never seen such bold research openly and unapologetically challenge the carceral system – one of the most pressing public health crises in the United States. I deeply admire the central role that community partners play in informing and shaping the lab’s work and am thankful for the opportunity to support system-impacted communities through being part of the Carceral Ecologies team.