Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Bruhn

Dr. Sarah Bruhn is a researcher, teacher, and writer focusing on how public policies impact immigrant families, shaping their opportunities for inclusion in the United States. Her work has explored immigrant motherhood, the impact of gentrification on immigrant communities, the role of schools in immigrant families’ lives, and young people’s perspectives on educational policies. Sarah received her PhD in Education from Harvard University and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania Population Studies Center and a Scholars Strategy Network Media Fellow. Her first book, Holding On to Home: Immigrant Women and the Promise of Sanctuary, examines how immigrant women use their carework – in their families, schools, and communities – to make real the promise of inclusive local immigration policies, even in the face of an anti-immigrant federal government and rapidly rising housing costs. Her second book, written with two co-authors, investigates how DACA-eligible immigrant young adults work towards creating stability and belonging in the varied places they call home. She has published widely in academic and public venues, including The Progressive, Commonwealth Beacon, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Marriage and Family, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies and the Journal of Social Issues, among others. Sarah started her career as a public-school teacher in Washington, DC and Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and her students continue to motivate her work today.

Sub-specialties:
- state and local immigration policies, with specific expertise in sanctuary policies
- gentrification and immigrant communities
- schools serving immigrant families
- immigrant women's family relationships, within the U.S. and across borders
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and its impact on the transition into adulthood and parenthood
- education policies, particularly those related to immigrant-origin children and families