Sydney Smanpongse is a first-year Master of Public Policy student at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and a Graduate Opportunity Fellowship Program (GOFP) recipient. Their concentration is on social policy, and their research interests include studying the role of intersectionality in various social issues, including homelessness, LGBTQ rights, and police reform.

Sydney graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a double major in Sociology and Political Science. During their time at UC Irvine, they conducted a research thesis on homonationalism and how global discrimination and exploitation of LGBTQ bodies affect the LGBTQ rights movement. After earning their bachelor's degrees, they spent several years working in one-to-one client-based environments in various sectors, including healthcare, counseling, and instructional support. After graduation, Sydney plans to work in social policy and address disparities disproportionately affecting individuals from various minority backgrounds.