Jeong Hyun (Jennifer) So

Jeong Hyun (Jennifer) So is a 1.5-generation Korean immigrant and a PhD candidate in policy analysis at the Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW). Jen is interested in how people think about time and how people's use of time impacts their well-being. Jen’s dissertation examines (1) long-term time poverty trends among U.S. adults, (2) time poverty and life satisfaction among working-age adults in South Korea, and (3) generational differences in time poverty. In addition to her own research, Jen has been serving as a project manager and a graduate research assistant to Professor Qin Gao and collaborating on multiple research projects. The latest project, the State of Chinese Americans 2022, was a nationwide survey of more than 6,500 Chinese Americans across various dimensions of life. Jen is interested in connecting her doctoral education, training, and research to practice, program, and policy initiatives that seek to improve the lives of individuals and communities.

Outside CSSW, Jen most recently worked as a Co-Director at Camp Naru, a weeklong sleepaway summer camp for Korean American youth aged 8 through 15, where she oversaw staff recruitment, training, and supervision, as well as communication with camp families and external stakeholders. Prior to doctoral studies, Jen worked at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) as the Manager of Immigrant Services Support, Events. She managed the NYIC’s Key to the City initiative, a citywide program bringing critical services to undocumented immigrants and immigrant neighborhoods throughout New York City in partnership with public schools. These services included consular identification services, immigration legal services, and education, health, and social services workshops and referrals. Jen’s other work experiences span program administration and evaluation, project management, and community outreach in New York City and abroad.

Jen obtained her MSW from CSSW, with Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming as the method of practice and a concentration in Contemporary Social Issues. Her MSW practicum placements at the Queens Criminal Court and the Korean American Family Service Center involved spearheading and completing program evaluation projects. Jen received a BA in psychology from New York University. She is bilingual in Korean and English.