Mentor
Jessica Cai is an educator, researcher, and doctoral student in Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, where she studies how young people can become more empowered participants in deliberative democracy. Her work sits at the intersection of learning, technology, and civic engagement, drawing on years of experience designing digital learning tools and developing cognitively grounded educational interventions for classrooms across Orange County. Through design-based research, she has collaborated closely with students and educators to create learning experiences that are both academically rigorous and deeply human-centered. Jessica’s research has been presented at national conferences, including the American Educational Research Association and the International Society of the Learning Sciences. Her most recent submission was nominated for the Best Graduate Paper award. She is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award of Distinction and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She earned dual degrees in Education Sciences and English at UC-Irvine before completing her Ed.M. at Harvard University. Alongside her academic work, Jessica has remained deeply committed to mentorship. Since her undergraduate years, she has worked closely with high school students as they navigate extracurricular activities and the college application process. She served as a writing coach with Girls Inc. and as a College Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, later helping co-found the UC-Irvine chapter. Her students have gone on to earn admission to institutions including Columbia University, Cornell University, the United States Air Force Academy, and campuses across the University of California system.
Fun Fact: I consider myself a pop culture nerd and find myself revisiting essays on the culture industry.
Your Alma Mater: University of California, Irvine B.A. English and Education Science Harvard University, Ed.M. Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology Northwestern University, Doctoral Student Learning ScienceÌý
Where are you Based in: Evanston, IL
“I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes.†― Maxine Hong Kingston from The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
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