PhD, Sociology, University of Southern California

Elif Yücel is a research assistant at the Pullias Center for Higher Education working with Dr. Tatiana Melguizo on a mixed-method study examining the implementation of AB705 in California’s community colleges. She also leads a longitudinal study examining community college reentry programs in California and how they serve formerly incarcerated students. Broadly, Elif’s research interests focus on the intersections of the education and criminal legal system. Outside of school, Elif volunteers for the Prison Education Project and co-leads the youth-team for UCLA’s Covid Behind Bars project.

Prior to USC, Elif received her M.Ed. in Educational Policy and Planning (EPP) from the University of Texas at Austin, where she worked as a graduate research assistant on the Texas Transfer Project, a five year, mixed methods, longitudinal study researching various issues in community college transfer in Central Texas. During her time at UT Austin, she also helped organize the Master’s Student Seminar for EPP students in the College of Education and worked as a graduate assistant for Sanger Learning Center, where she oversaw the Public Speaking Center and Outreach programs. In her spare time, she volunteered for Inside Books Project and served as an instructor for the Texas Prison Education Initiative, where she co-taught College 101 at Lockhart Correctional Facility.