Mariana Sánchez Santos is a PhD student in the School of Communication at American University. She holds a BA in international relations from ITAM in Mexico City and a MA in political communication from the University of Leeds, UK. She has also taken courses in City University of Hong Kong, Universidad de San Andrés in Buenos Aires, Stanford University, and Oxford University. Her doctoral research focuses in political communication, elections, and technology in Latin America. Prior to joining American University, she worked for different offices of the government of Mexico, as a consultant to media companies, and as a communications officer to the Fulbright Program in Mexico. She also worked as a research assistant in the Civil Society and Philanthropy Project from ITAM.