Michaela Merla is the data services assistant at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). She is responsible for monitoring the candidacies of women from the state legislature level and up, in addition to managing and expanding CAWP’s national database for women officeholders and contributing to research projects. Michaela is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy with a concentration in social and education policy.
Before her time at CAWP, Michaela was a full-time undergraduate student at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University. She was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha (The National Political Science Honor Society). Michaela also was a legislative intern in New Jersey's 11th Legislative District. She graduated in 2022 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in sociology from George Washington University.