Thapelo is a fifth year Ph.D. student in the Educational Measurement and Statistics program at the University of Iowa. A bachelor’s degree in math, along with a desire for a career in education led her to this program, where she has been able to combine these two worlds together. Over the course of her time at Iowa, she has narrowed her research to focus on assessment and measurement of higher education instruments. Specifically, she focuses on issues of fairness and bias on campus climate surveys. The results of these surveys are used not only to assess student attitudes towards their institution, but to also initiate campus-wide changes in programming and funding. Upon graduating in 2021, Thapelo plans to have a career in higher education as a director of assessment or as an institutional researcher. Outside of school, Thapelo enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, and serving as the Vice-President of MathValues, a nonprofit providing free tutoring and mentoring for youth.