Shawndaya Thrasher, MSW, MA, is a doctoral candidate in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. She is currently working on her dissertation research exploring racial/ethnic differences in bullying victimization outcomes. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Science in Criminology from University of West Georgia. She has over 8 years of direct practice with children and families in school, residential, and community settings. Shawndaya works as a research assistant with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Health Data and Analytics, Division of Analytics, where she primarily focuses on policy and research related to child welfare, family permanency, and family preservation services. Her research interests broadly include bullying risks and protective factors, and effects of child bullying involvement on child welfare and development. Outside of research, she enjoys writing poetry, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.