Jessica Persano

Jessica Persano is a fourth-year undergraduate at UCLA, double majoring in Political Science & Geography/Environmental Studies. Her passion for research began in high school, where she conducted data collection and analysis for a research paper on ‘gifted kid burnout’ as part of the AP Capstone Program. Since then, she has worked as a research assistant in the UCLA Political Science Department, analyzing data related to local election administration, including the tenure and turnover of police chiefs, county sheriffs, and school board officials. She is also currently a research assistant in the Wagman Lab, a violence prevention lab within the Fielding School of Public Health. Outside of research, Jessica is also deeply committed to reproductive justice and advocacy. She formerly served as President of IGNITE at UCLA, a reproductive justice organization focused on improving access to Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFEs) on UC campuses. She has also interned with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and currently serves as Co-Director of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at UCLA. Her experience in the Political Science Department and her passion for research-based advocacy led her to pursue a political science honors thesis. Titled “The Determinants of Policy Representation: Evaluating the Role of Policy Type in the US States,” her thesis explores how different types of policies—moral versus technical—affect the degree of representation in state-level policy. This research aims to uncover whether the nature of a policy, rather than its political salience, determines whether it aligns with public opinion. The findings could provide important insights into how policymakers can better represent their constituents across a range of policy areas, with broader implications for improving democratic responsiveness and accountability in governance.