Andrea Barajas is a PhD student in Public Policy & Sociology at the University of Michigan, where she is a Rackham Merit Fellow.

Broadly, her research interests lie at the intersection of criminology and social policy. She is interested in restorative justice program design, implementation, and evaluation, and how neighborhood conditions shape success.

She draws on her upbringing in Southeast Los Angeles, where early observation of systemic inequalities pushed her to understand how communities like hers can build long-term resilience. Her work aims to inform evidence-based practices that center at-risk youth.