Nicole Britton chose to attend UC Santa Cruz for the university’s unique landscape and educational approach. Double majoring in linguistics and legal studies, Nicole is excited to continue her research in the Dolores Huerta Research Center of the America’s Human Rights Investigation Lab.
With the help of the Weiss Family Scholarship, Nicole is entering her third year with the Human Rights Investigation Lab, and is currently working on a thesis looking into human rights abuse cases with a focus on the Americas.
The Weiss Family Scholarship was established in 2005 by Timothy and Jean Weiss. The scholarship endowment provides scholarships to support students in Colleges Nine and John R. Lewis College.
The Weiss Family Scholarship enhances the mission of the Division of Social Sciences research centers, rewarding outstanding students, strengthening student/faculty connections, and providing an additional incentive for the research centers to involve the students within these two Division of Social Sciences residential colleges.
After graduating from UCSC, Nicole hopes to gain more experience in the legal field.
“Currently my pathway forward involves getting my paralegal certification this summer so I can get some work experience in the legal field right after graduation,” she said. “I am planning on returning to academia at some point in the future though, whether as a law student or a graduate student is to be determined.”
For her fellow students, Nicole offers some advice:
“Explore all of the things! Take classes outside of your major for fun, find your class locations before they start (you can seriously get lost here), go to office hours (your professors and TAs are really cool people), explore the resources on campus (might take a bit of searching but it is worth it), join clubs, take hikes, etc.”
