Sandy Plascencia is a graduate student at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Sandy is pursuing a master's degree in Public Policy with a particular interest in social and economic inequalities. Sandy obtained a bachelor's degree in Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has four years of direct practice experience. For most of her time as a Social Worker, Sandy worked for the public sector in the youth justice system, primarily serving historically marginalized communities.

Working in the public sector, Sandy developed a special interest in DEI work and became the co-founder and co-chair of an agency-wide Equity Diversity and Inclusion research and program evaluation workgroup. Sandy is passionate about social justice research and human rights advocacy, particularly in Justice Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Women's rights, and Immigration reform. After graduation, Sandy wants to continue her work in policy through human rights advocacy and program evaluation. Sandy hopes her work contributes to protecting historically marginalized communities' rights and improving their quality of life.