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Laura Wray-Lake is a Professor in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, primarily focused on youth civic engagement. Her research is grounded in the assumption that adolescents and young adults have the potential to act as positive change agents in addressing societal problems on local, national, and global scales. Wray-Lake defines civic engagement broadly, encompassing behaviors, values, skills, knowledge, and motivations, as well as political and helping-oriented forms of engagement. Emphasizing young people’s own definitions of civic engagement, she explores how youth redefine civic engagement in various contexts. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, her work has documented developmental changes in forms of civic engagement over time and examined factors that promote or hinder youth civic participation, while considering the influence of culture, context, and historical timing. Wray-Lake has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including a monograph titled 'Pathways to Civic Engagement for Urban Youth of Color' and a forthcoming book, 'Young Black Changemakers on the Road to Racial Justice' by Cambridge University Press. Her research has received funding from the National Science Foundation and other foundations. Wray-Lake is a member of the Vote16 Research Network and serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Research on Adolescence.
Department of Economics admits primarily for the PhD program.