Jasmine Heyward is the communications and research associate at New America’s Better Life Lab. With previous experience as a reporter, K-12 educator, researcher, and lab coordinator, Heyward brings a diverse background to their work.
Inspired by an adolescence immersed in Web 2.0 fan culture, their research explores media representation of marginalized communities and mental illness and the impact of this work on audiences. For a decade they have researched the depictions of these themes in entertainment media from television to story-based video games, and they also advocate for thoughtful, accurate, and trauma-informed reporting in marginalized communities. In particular, Heyward is interested in taking a co-creative approach to nonfiction storytelling with people who hold complex intersectional identities. At the Better Life Lab, their work primarily explores the relationship between work- and school-related stress and family dynamics, along with the impact of discrimination and marginalization on the transmission of intergenerational trauma.
Heyward’s academic background includes an MA in Digital and Interactive Storytelling from the University of Westminster in London and a BA in Journalism from Northeastern University in Boston. They also studied diverse concepts in psychology and intercultural communication during both degrees.
Outside of their professional work, Heyward is very interested in technologies old and new. This has led to creative endeavors such as exploring film photography for the first time in the 2020s and building custom ergonomic keyboards. Heyward is based in Washington, D.C.