Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab is a trailblazing sociologist and scholar-activist whose work has reshaped the national conversation around college affordability and student well-being. As the founder of the #RealCollege movement and The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, she has led groundbreaking research on food and housing insecurity among college students, turning data into policy that supports millions. Her award-winning book, Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, exposes the systemic failures in higher education and offers bold solutions. Named one of Politico’s “Top 50 People Shaping American Politics,” Dr. Goldrick-Rab has advised both the Obama and Biden administrations, testified before Congress, and continues to teach sociology at the Community College of Philadelphia, championing equity and access from the classroom to Capitol Hill.