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ProCon.org Research Team
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Tracey DeFrancesco, Researcher
Tracey Marie DeFrancesco graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine University with a BA in International Studies (International and Intercultural Communication concentration). As an undergraduate, Tracey interned at CNN and worked for the network at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
Tracey earned a Master's Degree in Public Policy (MPP) from the UCLA School of Public Affairs, with a Counterterrorism and National Security concentration. Her coursework focused on counterterrorism policy, models of deterrence for nuclear terrorism, and decision under uncertainty. She was a teaching assistant for courses in policy analysis, imperfect rationality, and crime control policy.
Tracey has worked as a policy analyst and consultant, and, more recently, as a disaster analyst in the field of emergency preparedness. She is a Contributing Writer for Tennis View Magazine.
Tracey joined ProCon.org in June 2007. She is currently in charge of College Football ProCon.org, Medical Marijuana ProCon.org, Sports and Drugs ProCon.org, and Social Networking ProCon.org. She is also a contributor to the 2008 Election ProCon.org and Big Three Auto ProCon.org websites. |
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Jeffrey Hendricks, Researcher
Jeffrey D. Hendricks is a two-time graduate from California State University at Long Beach. As an undergraduate Jeffrey majored in Modern United States History and was recognized on the President's Honor list. During his graduate level studies, Jeffrey maintained a 4.0 GPA while earning his Master of Arts in United States History. His main areas of historical interest are the cultural and intellectual aspects of Environmental history, Native American history, and the history of social and environmental justice movements in the United States.
His Masters Thesis, "Constructing the Panopticon: Perceptions of Wilderness, Methods of Domination and the Colonization of Native America," was published in December, 2006, and it deals with how perceptions of wilderness influenced the colonization of North America. Other topics he has researched include the effects of colonization on the Tohono O'odham Nation of Southern Arizona, witchcraft persecutions in the Colonial US, and the Weather Underground - an anti-war organization active during the Vietnam War period.
Jeffrey has worked with many organizations including the Save Ward Valley Coalition, Los Angeles and Long Beach Food Not Bombs, the O'odham Solidarity Project, and others.
Jeffrey joined ProCon.org in June 2007. He is currently in charge of Milk ProCon.org, Felon Voting ProCon.org, Alternative Energy ProCon.org, Prescription Drug Ads ProCon.org, and Cell Phones ProCon.org. |
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Monica Kline, Researcher
Monica graduated from San Diego State University in 2004 with a BA in Sociology, a concentration in Contemporary Social Problems, and a minor in Spanish. As an undergraduate, she interned with the Western Service Workers Association and Stand Up For Kids, two San Diego based non-profit organizations serving underprivileged immigrant and homeless youth populations. She also took Spanish Civilization and Advanced Grammar courses in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain.
In December, 2006, Monica earned her Master's Degree in International Policy Studies and graduated with cum laude distinction from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), with a specialization in Human Rights, Justice and Norms. Focusing on International Migration with Latin America as her region of interest, Monica interned at the International Organization for Migration in Mexico City on a counter human trafficking project. While conducting workshops for Mexico's State Department employees on the issue of human trafficking, Monica compiled Spanish language research on immigration patterns between Central America, Mexico, and the United States.
At MIIS, Monica was the co-founder and president of the student-led group Stop the Trafficking of Persons, and she was an active board member of the Latin American Studies Association. She has traveled, worked, and studied extensively through Guatemala, Mexico, Spain, France, and Switzerland, and is proficient in English, Spanish, and French.
Upon graduating from MIIS, Monica worked as an Immigration Paralegal in San Francisco, CA, managing asylum and deportation defense cases. She joined ProCon.org in October 2008 and is currently in charge of ACLU ProCon.org, Born Gay ProCon.org, Under God in the Pledge ProCon.org, and Illegal Immigration ProCon.org. |
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Relic Sun, Researcher
Relic Sun graduated summa cum laude in 2006 from UCLA with a BA in Political Science, a concentration in International Relations, and a minor in East Asian Languages and Cultures. She had expanded her studies to the Trans-Atlantic Alliance and the European Union in Sweden and Germany and conducted a series of field study visits to political institutions in ten European capitals.
During her undergraduate studies, she interned at the US State Department International Information Programs Bureau, where she published stories describing US foreign policy initiatives. She co-founded and led the student grassroots organization Americans for Informed Democracy UCLA Chapter which was dedicated to creating an open dialogue on pressing international affairs. She initiated and edited the group's newsletter "What You Don't Know About Human Trafficking" that she presented to the President of the LA Task Force on Human Trafficking & Child Prostitution as the Keynote Speaker of the "Youth Conference on Slavery Past and Present" in February 2005.
Upon graduating she served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania in 2006 and as a political science research assistant at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) in 2007. She is proficient in English, Chinese Mandarin, Spanish, and Romanian.
Relic joined ProCon.org in August 2007. She is currently in charge of Prostitution ProCon.org, Insider Trading by Congress ProCon.org, Drinking Age ProCon.org, Right to Health Care ProCon.org, and Obesity ProCon.org. She is also a contributor to Under God ProCon.org and ACLU ProCon.org. |
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Nick Wilson, Researcher
Nick Wilson graduated summa cum laude in 2009 from UCLA with a BA in Political Science, a concentration in American Politics, and a minor in Public Policy. He is a lifetime member of Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key International Honour Society, and the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society. He was awarded Departmental Honors for his thesis "The Timing of Presidential Primaries: Competing Interests and the Failure of Reform."
During his undergraduate studies, Nick was involved in student government and served on the Academic Senate Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools. He also served as the Crisis Director for Model United Nations at UCLA, directing a staff to simulate international emergencies for conference delegates to attempt to resolve. He was awarded the Chancellor's Service Award for his leadership in the UCLA community.
Nick was the instructor for a class he developed at UCLA on current struggles facing the music industry and possible business models that may be adopted. He also worked as a Learning Center Consultant at UCLA Information Technology Services.
Nick joined ProCon.org in September 2009. He is currently in charge of Death Penalty ProCon.org, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict ProCon.org, Video Game Violence ProCon.org, and Voting Machines ProCon.org. |
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Jodi Young, Senior Researcher
Jodi received an MA in International Relations from New York University and a BS in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She was involved with the UCLA Political Science Honor Society, the NYU International Relations Club, and she volunteered for Doctors Without Borders. She is currently a member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
Jodi has written research papers covering diverse issues such as democracy in Russia, Haitian dictatorships, job outsourcing, and ethical issues in global affairs.
Jodi has worked in Switzerland, New Zealand, Israel, and dozens of other countries. She joined ProCon.org in November 2006, and she is currently in charge of US-Iraq War ProCon.org, Euthanasia ProCon.org, Big Three Auto ProCon.org, 2008 Election ProCon.org, and Privatizing Social Security ProCon.org. |
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