A proud Jersey native with a background in media, business, and analytics, Sandy Wu currently studies at the University at Buffalo School of Law. Her research focuses on censorship in settings where political and corporate powers converge, particularly during periods of political turbulence. Her primary focus is on the reshaping of cultural narratives through regulatory coercion and self-censorship. She has a special interest in political regimes that use consolidated market power as a means to strengthen ideological control and what this means for a nation's people. She also tinkers with the idea of independent media distribution as a way to counter systemic bottlenecks that limit cultural production. After law school, she hopes to deepen her engagement with these topics and continue her work as a philanthropist (see Philanthropy). ​

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Previously, Wu earned her B.A. in Political Science from UCLA, where she also mentored middle school students from low-income households as Bruin Partner's Director of Mentee Relations. Before graduating, she conducted independent research on the relationship between mindset and sustainable behavior change at UCLA's Center for American Politics and Public Policy in Washington, D.C. After graduating, she gained business experience in small administrative roles until she was able to break into the media industry. Since then, she has had the honor of working alongside some of the industry's best at NBC and CNN. Most notably, she served as the business coordinator for Anderson Cooper 360, overseeing all business affairs for Anderson Cooper's primetime show. She has also supported network executives and managed business operations for special projects, such as CNN's New Year's Eve Live Hosted by Anderson Cooper and CNN Films' The End: Inside the Last Days of the Obama White House. Ever grateful to her colleagues and mentors at CNN, she left to care for a loved one with terminal cancer.

 

Since then, she has managed business affairs for a professional painter, worked with local police and a nonprofit as a volunteer victims’ advocate, and earned her M.S. in Crime Analysis from Arizona State University. Her capstone project analyzed ten years of NYPD data on gun violence to identify non-fatal shooting hotspots, peak shooting periods, and high-risk populations. Her thesis paper and recorded presentation (delivered live) were selected by program faculty to serve as a model for future students. Through her studies, Wu learned how to work with complex datasets and deliver actionable, data-driven solutions. She is excited to carry these skills forward into law, business, and philanthropy. By collaborating with those in her community, she hopes to abide by the golden campground rule: Always leave a place better than you found it.