Saba Modaressi

Saba Modaressi (she/her/hers) is a Ph.D. student and Provost Fellow in the Urban Education Policy program at USC Rossier School of Education. Under the advisement of Dr. Jessica DeCuir-Gunby, Saba’s research concentration is in educational psychology.

Before her academic journey at USC, Saba attended Chapman University, where she received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Integrated Educational Studies, with a community emphasis in Leadership Studies. She has a passion for helping marginalized students and has held various positions delivering behavioral health or academic support services to diverse populations.

Through her education, professional experiences, and personal experience as an ethnic minority in the public education system, Saba has developed a passion for researching the consequences of education inequity on marginalized students' mental health and academic performance. She is also interested in investigating culturally responsive academic and socio-emotional interventions that can mitigate mental health consequences.

Quality and equitable education, accessible resources, and inclusion for all identities should be a right, not a privilege; Saba intends to dedicate her research, policy, and practice career to making this statement a reality.