Tori Thomas is a PhD candidate in the dual- degree Sociology and Demography PhD program at Penn State University. She received her MA in Sociology from Penn State in 2016 and her BA in Sociology from Georgia State University in 2013. Her research interests include race and education as well as school racial segregation. In particular, her dissertation research examines the effects of high school racial segregation on the long-term educational outcomes of Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics. These interests reflect her own schooling experience that resulted from her mother transferring her from an under-resourced, mostly minority middle school to a well-resourced, mostly White middle school. These interests also reflect her experience tutoring elementary school students who attended under-resourced, mostly minority schools. During her time at Penn State she has received honorable mentions from both the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the Ford Pre-Doctoral Fellowship program.
