Ashley Hirilall works in the Early Childhood Development research area. As an undergraduate, she examined the processes behind the child welfare system in Minnesota’s Hennepin County with Dr. Canan Karatekin.  Ashley is becoming increasingly interested in public policy, and continues to research the cultural sensitivities of services and interventions offered in cases of child maltreatment. In future work, Ashley hopes to become more involved in policy by pursuing a master’s degree while also learning from her experiences at Child Trends.