Who Am I?
I'm Naomi Nguyen (she/her), a social science researcher based in the New York Metropolitan Area. Broadly, my research focuses on investigating health and educational disparities within underserved communities. Most recently, I've studied children with developmental disabilities, as well as individuals affected by community violence.
In addition to being a researcher, I am an educator with experience teaching students in diverse settings, including elementary students on Zoom, high schoolers at summer camps, and graduate students in universities.
In the future, I hope to combine my passion for research and education by pursuing a career in academia.
What Did I Study?
Like many people from Long Island, I began my undergraduate journey at Stony Brook University on the pre-medical track. However, I quickly realized that the medical field wasn't for me because I didn’t enjoy lab work.
Still interested in healthcare, I switched from Biology to a dual major in Sociology and Psychology, with a minor in Health, Medicine, & Society. In my second-to-last semester, I took the infamous Research and Writing in Psychology course, which I avoided for years because "research" reminded me of test tubes and pipettes.
To my surprise, not all research happens in a lab—and I discovered that I actually really enjoy it! This led me to pursue a master's degree in Social Research & Analysis at Montclair State University.
What Makes Me Happy?
When I'm not editing manuscripts or mentoring students, you can find me creating artwork, solving mysteries (whether it’s escape rooms, debugging code, or predicting TV show endings), practicing languages on Duolingo, or *screaming* my heart out at karaoke night. I also love exploring new places and am fortunate enough to work in a field that involves traveling to conferences and trainings around the world.
