Thalia Tom received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Southern California, where she was a Graduate School Endowed Fellow and served as a research assistant for the Segregation Tracking Project and the Center for Economic and Social Research. Prior to her doctoral studies, Thalia earned a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Davis.
As a first-generation and multiracial scholar whose name is often mispronounced, Thalia is acutely aware of how our identities may make us more or less likely to participate and feel that we belong in academic settings. Given this knowledge, she strives to create inclusive environments through her service, mentoring, and teaching. This commitment is also reflected in her research: in her role as an incoming Equity in Early Education Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, Thalia is looking forward to engaging with scholars, community organizations, and research-practice partnerships to increase educational opportunities for children from diverse backgrounds.