Chelsea Barabas

In 2009 I graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in Sociology and minors in Arabic and Feminist Studies. Prior to coming to MIT, I worked with an international development start-up called Nuru International. With Nuru, I led the development of co-learning and design opportunities between Western development practitioners and local social entrepreneurs. My research at Civic Media focuses on how alternative learning pathways translate into career opportunity for individuals who traditionally face significant obstacles to accessing higher education. The heart of this work is concerned with understanding evolving notions of meritocracy within the tech industry, and how that shapes the way that race, gender and educational pedigree influence an individual's career trajectory in technical fields.

I also work on a variety of other projects at the Center for Civic Media that focus on increasing access and participation in educational and civic spheres.