Bio
Jeong Hyun (Jennifer) So is a 1.5-generation Korean immigrant and a PhD candidate in policy analysis at the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW). Jen’s dissertation examines (1) two decades of time poverty trends in the United States by gender, family structure, and race/ethnicity, (2) the association between time poverty and life satisfaction in South Korea, and (3) age-period-cohort effects on time poverty in South Korea. Jen is interested in connecting her research to practice, program, and policy implications for women-led, single-parent, and immigrant households in the United States and South Korea. In addition, Jen works as a Graduate Research Assistant to Professor Qin Gao and serves as a project manager for the State of Chinese Americans Survey and related publications.
Outside CSSW, Jen has worked as a Co-Director at Camp Naru, a weeklong sleepaway summer camp for Korean American youth, where she oversaw staff recruitment, training, and supervision, as well as communication with camp families and external stakeholders. Prior to doctoral studies, Jen worked at the New York Immigration Coalition as the Manager of Immigrant Services Support, Events. She oversaw the organization's Key to the City initiative, a citywide program funded by the New York City Council bringing critical services to undocumented immigrants and immigrant neighborhoods throughout the city in partnership with public schools, the New York Legal Assistance Group, and community organizations. These services included consular identification services, immigration legal services, and education, health, and social services workshops and referrals. Jen’s other work experiences involved program administration and evaluation, project management, and community engagement in New York City and abroad.
Jen obtained her MSW from CSSW, with Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming as the method of practice and a concentration in Contemporary Social Issues. Jen completed MSW practicum at the Queens Criminal Court and the Korean American Family Service Center, where she spearheaded program evaluation projects and facilitated community outreach workshops. Jen holds a BA in psychology from New York University.