Brenda Castañeda-Castañeda is a Staff Research Associate in Dr. Yen’s Housing, Opportunity and Place (HOPe) Lab in the Department of Public Health. Brenda is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Health at UC Berkeley. In her role at the HOPe Lab, Brenda assists with qualitative research focused on the experiences of women of color in K-12 school discipline. She has collaborated on research related to education and obesity, state disciplinary policies, and the effects of Universal Basic Income (UBI) programs on housing and education. During the coronavirus pandemic, Brenda was part of a data analyst team where she analyzed qualitative and quantitative data on community perceptions and understanding of the novel coronavirus. Through this role, Brenda contributed to the COVIDLATNO.org campaign. Brenda recently graduated with a BA in Public Health from the University of California, Merced. She is from the Central Valley of California and enjoys contributing to research and the community. Brenda is passionate about serving her community and reducing health disparities that negatively impact Hispanics/Latinos in the Central Valley.