I'm Zayda Sorrell-Medina and I have a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh with an emphasis on Community Organizing and a PhD in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy from the University of California, Irvine. My social work background is in nonprofit management, program evaluation, youth education, community organizing, and art-based community interventions. I presently hold a position as an Assistant Professor of Social Work at California State University Northridge, where I joined in the fall 2023. I teach macro-level social work courses such as social welfare policy and services and urban social policy and advocacy. My research areas of interest are immigration, nonprofits, inclusion, and exclusion. My ultimate aim as researcher is to better understand how governmental and nongovernmental entities contribute to the inclusion and exclusion of marginalized groups in society, with a particular focus on immigrants and ethnic groups. I am also the host of The Voice Podcast, where I intertwine urban and social work topics.