Campus News
Social Sciences students receive awards to support their academics and research
21 students were recognized with awards from the Social Sciences Division and Division of Undergraduate Education.
Each year, the Social Sciences Division recognizes the academic and research achievements of our undergraduate and graduate students through scholarships that help remove financial barriers. This year, 21 students were recognized for their unique passions, outstanding merit, and contributions to the greater good, on campus and beyond.
Learn more about each of the 2024 student awardees.
Social Sciences Division Awards
Keeley Coastal Scholars Award
- Kiran Jagait
Project title: Vocal Behavior in Ringed Seals - Jenna Contuchio
Project title: Quantifying Dive Behaviors and Movements of Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Coastal Waters of California to Inform Future Protections: A Collaborative Approach - Leah Van Dyke
Project title: Microbial Communities Driving Carbon Sequestration in Coastal Estuarine Wetlands
Rick Hooper Award
- Nohely Gutierrez, anthropology
Milam-McGinty-Kaun Award for Teaching Excellence
- Hyunjin Yun, economics
- Boluwaji Ajayi, anthropology
Benjamin Quaye Memorial Award for Social Justice
- Kenneth Senstad, global and community health
Walsh Family Scholarship
- Paula Crews, environmental studies
Weiss Family Scholarship
- Cali Kimura, molecular, cell, and developmental biology
Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship
- Priti Kumar, cognitive science and politics
- Emmanuel Ogundipe, legal studies
- Janai Dagdagan, psychology
Division of Undergraduate Education Awards
The Division of Undergraduate Education awards Social Sciences students who are completing faculty-mentored senior research or capstone projects. Up to 10 undergraduates demonstrating research excellence receive the Deans’ Undergraduate Award for Undergraduate Research, with the top three projects also earning the Chancellor’s Award for Undergraduate Research.
2024 Chancellor’s Award and Deans’ Undergraduate Award for Undergraduate Research
- Ameyalli de la Rosa, anthropology
Project title: ¡El es Dios!: Mexican Folk Catholicism and its Rebellious Ecologies - Lila Alena Mandros Bell, psychology
Project title: Women Talking: Postfeminism, Neoliberalism, and the Requirements of Womanhood - Alexandra Thanhha Singer, politics
Project title: Repression and Mobilization in the Digital Age: a Triangular Set of Relations
2024 Deans’ Award for Undergraduate Research
- Gerard Labriola, politics
Project title: Bringing Each Other to Greatness: Narratives of the Revolutionary Vanguard and Horizontal Alternatives in Zapatista Theory and Practice - Kasey La, cognitive science
Project title: What Was My Error?: Online Processing of Speech Disfluency by Foreign-Accented Speakers - Diana Garcia, psychology
Project title: Peer Relations and the Importance of Cultural Identity in Classroom Motivation - Lauren Elscott, legal studies
Project title: The Judicial Paintbrush: The Ongoing Evolution of Copyright Law and its Relationships with Creators, Corporations, and Artificial Intelligence - Reva Samant, legal studies
Project title: Ending Solitary Confinement: A Look Outside the Eighth Amendment and Litigation - Shavit Melamed, sociology
Project title: Radio Activities: Extracurricular College Radio and Academic Success
Want to help support our students? Divisional awards are funded by endowments from donors who want to make a long-term impact and empower future generations of leaders. Explore these and other giving opportunities in the Social Sciences Division.