Bio:

Kaisa was drawn to the interdisciplinary major of Stage and Production Management and Ethics, History, and Public Policy from a desire to integrate her talent for organizing, a love of the arts, and a need to gain a deeper understanding of the world we live in. Her Stage and Production Management experience has led her to have a strong management and organizational background which has benefited her within her academic studies and research. Within Ethics, History, and Public Policy, through a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level, she has discovered a deep interest in exploring the intersection of public health and public policy. 

During her time at Carnegie Mellon she has completed an independent study on an exploration of gun control legislation to decrease gun related suicide and the barriers to passing it. She has also interned for the Center for Vulnerable Populations at UCSF and Zuckerberg General Hospital as a research affiliate studying tactics used by the beverage industry to disseminate disinformation within legislation that deflects accountability for the epidemic of metabolic diseases. 

Kaisa has recently completed a senior capstone research project on the role art in prison plays for incarcerated people to assert their humanity within a system of mass incarceration and oppression. Through this project she utilized historical research, critical analysis of policy and legislation, and first person interviews and discussions to craft a dynamic picture of the importance of art in prison. 

She is specifically interested in how policy impacts the everyday lives and health of oppressed and marginalized people and how it can be used as a positive force for creating societal change. 

Kaisa has worked as a researcher, stage manager, lighting technician, gallery assistant, red carpet event photographer, stick shift coffee truck driver, barista, Christmas tree sales person, elections inspector, and a purveyor of bagels, breads, and biscuits at a variety of farmers markets.