Samantha is from Mexico City, where she completed her master’s in applied economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and bachelor studies in business administration from ITAM and Sociology from Unam os Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Prior to arriving to Syracuse University, she worked as a research assistant at the Center for Competitiveness Studies (ITAM), where she conducted policy evaluation.  Her research interest is in applied microeconomics, with a focus on crime and transportation.