Dawoon Lee is a policy intern at the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. She came to Katal through a Tow Policy Advocate Fellowship at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is a first-year graduate student studying forensic psychology. Dawoon is interested in youth justice, ending mass incarceration, and exploring relevant factors the keep communities safe.

As an intern, Dawoon is working on the #LessIsMoreNY and #CutShutInvestNY campaigns with our organizers and policy team.

Dawoon has worked as a graduate research assistant at John Jay College by supporting research and analyzing data in the Psychology Program.  She has participated in the Bilingual Mind Project, where she gathered articles and created presentations about bilingualism, working memory, and attitudes toward bilingualism. She is currently working on public policy research to establish police-free schools. These research experiences give her an opportunity to develop data analysis and planning skills that will help her advocate for equitable public policy with Katal.

Dawoon obtained her bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and forensic psychology in 2020. Through her studies, she learned the history of the criminal justice system in the United States and its discrimination toward people of color. She has also become knowledgeable and attuned to the negative mental health impacts of law enforcement’s malfunctioning and mistreatment in this country. She strives to do public policy work with a social justice perspective. Dawoon is from South Korea and moved to Brooklyn in 2014. In her free time, she loves to go on long walks, visit parks, and enjoy New York City’s diverse cultures.