Awards & Scholarships
There are many awards and scholarships available to students throughout the campus. For a list of common awards and scholarships sociology students apply to each year, please review the application page. Below we recognize past winners of major awards across campus and in the sociology department.
Previous Winners
Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender Senior Thesis Award
The Pamela Ann Roby Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender Endowment was established in 2000 by Pamela Ann Roby, who is currently a UCSC Professor Emerita of Sociology. The Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender Senior Thesis Award is given to the sociology major who has written their senior thesis on race, class, and gender during the academic year with race, class, and gender being their simultaneous and central foci.
Previous Winners:
2024: Valerie Garcia for “Whose HSI?: A Look into the Undergraduate Latinx Experience at UCSC” with Faculty Advisor Rebecca London
2023: Serena Campbell for "'The university needs to listen': Moving from Mainstream to Critical Environmentalism at UC Santa Cruz” with Faculty Advisors Hillary Angelo, Flora Lu, and Emily Murai
2022: Claudia Torres Arias for "Beyond Survival: Fostering Thriving Immigrant Communities in Santa Cruz through Multi-Faceted Social Services” with Faculty Advisor Steve McKay
2022: Norberto Garcia for "Statusblindness: A Critical Analysis of K-5 Students, Their Immigrant Parents, and
Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic" with Faculty Advisor Rebecca London
2021: Nivie Oron for “Fat as Flawless or Fatal? Weight Stigma and its Effect on Perceptions of Fat,
Health, and Eating Disorders” with Faculty Advisor Rebecca London
2020: Priyanka Kulkarni for "Incarceration and Healthcare in Santa Cruz County Jails" with Faculty Advisor James Doucet-Battle
2020: Giselle Ortiz for "Primera Generación: Experiences of Latinx Womxn Students at UCSC with Campus Resources" with Faculty Advisor Rebecca London
2019: Alyssa Garcia for "The Political Economy of Legal Marijuana in California" with Faculty Advisor James Doucet-Battle
2019: John Kenney for "Unsettling California: Understanding Empire through El Camino Real" with Faculty Advisor Lindsey Dillon
2018: Keelyanne Hyland for "An Approach to Service and Support Through a Trauma Informed Lens for Vulnerable Populations of Women Within Santa Cruz County" with Faculty Advisor Rebecca London
2018: Natalie Keller for "The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Stockton" with Faculty Advisor Herman Gray
2017: Darshani Alahan for "Growing up as a Second-Generation White American Hindu: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to an Ethnographic Study" with Faculty Advisor Ben Crow
2017: Andres Arias for "The Invisible Army of Informal Labor: An Urban Ethnography of Latino Informality" with Faculty Advisor Steve McKay
2016: Ksenya Kryliouk for "Sexual Violence on College Campuses" with Faculty Advisor Hiroshi Fukurai
2015: Sandy Alvarado for "Domestic Violence Services in the Midwest" with Faculty Advisor Herman Gray
2015: Zoe Bartlett for "The Unintended Consequences of Homeless Shelter Policies: Excluding the Homeless from Essential Services” with Faculty Advisor Miriam Greenberg
2014: Abuaoli "Arash" Mohajerinejad for "An Evaluation of Women's Rights in a Post Islamic Republic Iran with a Look at the Role of Culture and Politics" with Faculty Advisor Hiroshi Fukurai
2014: Kimberly Pistilli for "The Effects of Poverty on Expectations and Aspirations of Youth in Ejido Ruben Jaramillo, Mexico" with Faculty Advisors Ben Crow and Jonathan Fox
2013: Carson Watts for "Sanitation Services and Perceptions of Possibilities: A Case Study of Old Fadama in Accra, Ghana" with Faculty Advisor Ben Crow
2011: Wendy Ng for "Weight as a Pre-requisite to Marriage: A Sociological Study of First Generation Chinese-American Women and their Parents" with Faculty Advisor Pamela Roby
2010: Vicki Preciado for "On a Pathway of Missed Opportunities and Compromised Futures: Latino Continuation High School Students and their Chances of Dropping Out" with Faculty Advisor Gabriela Sandoval
2009: Dmitry Kogan for "How to Delete the Word 'Street' from Street Children" with Faculty Advisor Paul Lubeck
2007: Brooke Baxter for "Harry Potter and the Sociologist’s Stone" with Faculty Advisor Andrew Szasz
2007: Shaeleya Miller for "Beyond Pole-arity: Negotiations and Accountability Among Feminists" with Faculty Advisor Melanie DuPuis
2005: Ileana Sansano for "HIV Test Counselors in California: An Investigation of Class, Race, Gender, Emotional Labor and Family Life" with Faculty Advisor Pamela Roby
Fanny Carruthers Sociology Scholarship
Anne Jane "Fanny" Carruthers Howard died on February 15, 1972. She left a portion of her estate in a trust. Her bequest designated that her trust be used to fund scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students attending the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Held up in the courts for many years, the trust was finally terminated and the balance was distributed as an outright gift to UC Santa Cruz to be administered pursuant to the donor's request. Since 2005, the Fanny Carruthers Sociology Scholarship Fund has been used to fund the Fanny Carruthers Award in Sociology. One or more awards are made annually, based on financial need and academic merit, to undergraduate or graduate students of UC Santa Cruz who are graduates of Santa Clara County high schools and who are majoring in any concentration or track within sociology.
Previous Winners:2024: Julian Crown (UG), Jazzy Kalsi (UG)
2023: Amani Chowdhury (UG), Amanda Lapore (UG), Sofia Wageman (UG)
2022: Julian Crown (UG)
2021: Diana Carranza (UG), Paria Harirsaz (UG)
2020: Julia Cheng (UG), Ethan Mulberg (UG), Isela Reyes (UG)
2019: Hugh McCormick (UG), Jesus Quiroz (UG), Isela Reyes (UG)
2018: Kylee Gonzalez (UG)
2017: Laura Mijangos (UG)
2016: Megan Agustin (UG), Andres Arias (UG), Jana Machover (UG), Rachel Rosen (UG)
2015: Andres Arias (UG)
2014: Ethel Rostran (UG), Lia Salaverry (UG)
2013: Elizabeth Arbatman (UG), Ariana Arenas (UG), Sejee Kim (UG), Thi Nguyen (UG), Jessie Thorsen (UG)
2012: Sejee Kim (UG)
2011: Thi Nguyen (UG)2010: Laura Harmon (UG)
2009: Laura Harmon (UG), Claudia Lopez (GRAD)
Deans' & Chancellor’s Undergraduate Awards
The Deans', Chancellor's, and Steck Awards recognize exceptional achievements in research projects or other creative activities, in order to both encourage outstanding scholarship and promote research as an important part of undergraduate education. The Deans of the five academic divisions at UCSC award fifty undergraduates (10 from each division) the Dean's Undergraduate Award each year with a cash prize of $100 for outstanding achievement in their division. The projects are be based on work developed in courses or programs in the normal pattern of academic activity at UCSC. Of the Deans' awardees, the top three from each division will be awarded the Chancellor's Undergraduate Award with an additional cash prize of $100. Of the 15 Chancellor's awardees, the most outstanding research project from a graduating senior will receive the Steck Award with an additional cash prize of $1000. Winners are honored at an awards ceremony at the end of the year, which will culminates the annual Student Achievement Week.
Previous Winners:
2024: Shavit Melamed for "Radio Activities: Extracurricular College Radio and Academic Success"
2023: Serena Campbell for "'The university needs to listen': Moving from Mainstream to Critical Environmentalism at UC Santa Cruz”
2022: Claudia Torres Arias for "Beyond Survival: Fostering Thriving Immigrant Communities in Santa Cruz through Multi-Faceted Social Services”
2021: Morgan Bishop for "The New Vagrancy: The Evolution of Moral Policing in Anti-Homeless Policy - The Role of Morality in the Criminalization of Homelessness." Ms. Bishop's paper was selected for both the Dean's Award and Chancellor's Award.
2021: Nivie Oron for “Fat as Flawless or Fatal? Weight Stigma and its Effect on Perceptions of Fat,
Health, and Eating Disorders”
2020: Priyanka Kulkarni for "Incarceration and Healthcare in Santa Cruz County Jails"
2020: Farrah Safari for "The Grey Area: Rethinking the Problem of the Color Line in Vietnam War-era Korea and Japan"
2019: Tina Milz for "Propagating Discourse: Community Gardener Motivations in the California Central Coast"
2019: Manfred Sy for "Black on White Love: How Racial/Ethnic Identities Influence Partner-Decisions and Relationships"
2018: Natalie Keller for "The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Stockton." Ms. Keller's paper was selected for both the Dean's Award and Chancellor's Award.
2017: Darshani Alahan for "Growing up as a Second-Generation White American Hindu: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to an Ethnographic Study"
2017: Mariel Paul for "The Hijra Community of Bangladesh"
2016: Ean Brown for "32 Years After Orwellian “1984”: The Surveillance State and National Security”
2016: Ciera-Jevae Gordon for "Incarcerated Words"
2014: Sarah Gray for “The Historic and Contemporary Use of Sterilization: A Method of State Control and Genocide”
2014: Kimberly Pistilli for "The Effects of Poverty on Expectations and Aspirations of Youth in Ejido Ruben Jaramillo, Mexico"
2013: Matthew Goff for "What is Water Equity?"
2013: Carson Watts for "Sanitation Services and Perceptions of Possibilities: A Case Study of Old Fadama in Accra, Ghana." Mr. Watt's paper was selected for both the Dean's Award and Chancellor's Award.
2012: Lucas Healy for "Patient Information Privacy and Security in Ghana: Current Policy and Suggestions for the Future"
2012: Aldinette Lockett for "Sustainable Development in Low-Income Housing: A New Technology"
2011: Jenna Harvey for "Out of the Shadows: A Comparative Analysis of Women's Participation in the Informal Economy of Costa Rica and Nicaragua." Ms. Harvey's paper was selected for both the Dean's Award and Chancellor's Award.
2011: Wendy Ng for "Weight as a Pre-requisite to Marriage: A Sociological Study of First Generation Chinese-American Women and their Parents."
2010: Vicki Preciado for "On a Pathway of Missed Opportunities and Compromised Futures: Latino Continuation High School Students and their Chances of Dropping Out"
2009: Susan Lopez for "Is Mexico Ready for a Jury Trial? Comparative Analysis of Lay Justice Systems in Mexico, U.S., Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Ireland"
2008: Nicholas Petersen for "Lynching and 'Popular Justice': A Comparative Analysis of White and African-American Lynching Incidents, 1882-1930"
2007: Shaeleya Miller for "Beyond Pole-arity: Negotiations and Accountability Among Feminists"
2005: Jennifer Meissonnier for "The Nature of Urban Green Space: An Investigation with Users of Neighborhood Parks in San Francisco"
2003: Maria Borja for "The Girl Next Door Part II, Playboy Aesthetics: A Content Analysis on Playboy Centerfolds and a Cross-cultural Comparative Analysis on Playmates and Asian Models, Second Edition"
2002: Roberto Jimenez for "Crime in the Face: Decoding Criminality"
2001: Peter Adeney for ""Forgetting The Body: The Impossible Dream Of The Information Age"
2000: Beth Martel for "Women in the Military: Bridging the Gap"
1999: Nicole Dunas for "Self in Flux: Dialogue on the Life of an Eating Disorder Patient"
1998: Stephanie Casher for "Negotiating Identity and Cultural Capital: The Social and Structural Factors Affecting the Educational Attainment of Bi-Racial Men of African-American Descent".
Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship
The Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established to support undergraduate students in the Division of Social Sciences who are passionate about social issues and committed to public service. Gabriel “Gabe” Zimmerman graduated from UC Santa Cruz as a Sociology major,and he was working for Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as her Director of Community Outreach when he was tragically shot and killed. Generous donations from more than 520 alumni, community members, and the general public funded this endowment. This endowment awards $2,500 annually to one outstanding undergraduate student who is a major in any of the departments within the Division of Social Sciences.
Undergraduate majors in the social sciences are invited to apply for this scholarship by submitting a short essay (2-3 pages maximum) about her or his passion for social issues and commitment to public service. Candidates must be in good academic standing and submit an unofficial copy of their transcripts. Each department may select one candidate for this award and submit her or his essay for review along with a nomination letter detailing the exceptional qualities of the nominee. The selection committee, appointed by the Dean, includes three faculty and two community members. The recipient of this award will be honored publicly.
Previous Winners:
2022: Gypsy Alvarado Covarrubias, Sociology, Politics, and Education Democracy and Justice
2019: Alyssa Scarsciotti, Sociology and Linguistics
2018: John Kenney, Sociology and Community Studies
2018: Asante Talib Nkosi, Sociology and History
2017: Keelyanne Hyland, Sociology
2014: Abuaoli "Arash"Mohajerinejad, Sociology
2013: Carson Watts, Sociology and Politics
2012: Yethzell Diaz, Combined LALS/Sociology
Walsh Family Scholarship
Carl Walsh, economics professor and vice provost and director of the Silicon Valley Initiative, and his wife, Judy Walsh, established the Walsh Family Scholarship Endowment for Social Science majors in honor of Eugene and Bessie Walsh. "This is a lasting way of honoring my parents," said Carl Walsh. "They set a good example of doing things they thought would make the world a better place." In recognition of the gift, the conference room in Social Sciences 1 was renamed the Eugene and Bessie Walsh Conference Room. A plaque inside the room describes the careers and philanthropy of Eugene and Bessie Walsh. The Walsh Family Scholarship is an award or awards to one or more undergraduate students in any of the majors within the Division of Social Sciences. Selection is based on academic merit and financial need.
Previous Winners:
2020: Dora Khu, Sociology with Intensive Concentration in GISES; Josue Perez-Hernandez, Sociology; Nyereath Nhial, Sociology and CRES (awarded by the Sociology Department)
2018: Laura Wishart, Sociology and Politics (awarded by Politics Department)
2013: Thomas Gelder, Sociology with Intensive Concentration in GISES (awarded by Sociology Department)
The Benjamin Quaye Memorial Scholarship
The Benjamin Quaye Memorial Endowment for Social Justice award is an annual undergraduate scholarship for a student with significant financial need who is pursuing educational and career goals in social justice, with a strong preference for a student who is the first in his/her family to attend college. Students who, like Benjamin, volunteer to help the under-served, such as foster youth, people with disabilities, and the homeless are ideal recipients of this award.
The Benjamin Quaye Memorial Endowment for Social Justice honors the memory of Benjamin Quaye, a UC Santa Cruz student who died at age 21 in 2010. Benjamin had a strong commitment to spreading the values of tolerance and social justice, and his studies and future plans were built upon these ideals. Ben participated on the Men’s Rugby team, helped foster youth and people with disabilities, and espoused the Oakes College theme of diversity and inclusion. Ben dreamed of becoming a social worker so he could counsel troubled children and young adults. He was a vibrant part of the UC Santa Cruz and the world around him.
Benjamin was a loving brother and devoted son. A lover of the outdoors and all things natural, Benjamin was equally at home on the snow and the water. He enjoyed snowboarding in the winter and wakeboarding in the summer. He especially enjoyed hiking in Eaton Canyon near his home in Altadena, California. His family, friends, and loved ones donate these endowed funds in his loving memory to support students at UCSC who share his ideals.
Previous Winners:
2023: Jaden Huerta, Sociology and Latin American and Latino Studies
2020: Jose Orellana, Sociology and CRES
2019: Hugh McCormick, Sociology with Intensive Concentration in GISES; and Gianna DeFelice, Sociology and Community Studies
The Rick Hooper Scholarship
The Rick Hooper Scholarship, administered through the Center for Emerging Worlds, will be awarded on the basis of academic merit and financial need. Preference will be given to undergraduate students in any UC Santa Cruz department who have a demonstrated interest in or are pursuing studies in one or more of the areas in which Rick Hooper focused his life's work. The award is intended to fund travel expenses for the selected undergraduate student or students for any of the following purposes:
* increasing understanding of the Arabic language or the Arabic-speaking or Muslim world
* study at a college or university in an Arabic-speaking or Muslim majority country
* an internship in peace and conflict resolution or human rights
* study or work in Palestinian human rights issues
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Rick Hooper, a 1985 graduate of UC Santa Cruz, spent many years in the Middle East and became one of the UN's chief experts on the region. He became interested in the Middle East as a UCSC undergraduate while studying abroad, and he returned to join a campus student organization, the Palestine Support Group, dedicated to promoting awareness of the culture, aspirations, and human rights situation of Palestinians. He spent an additional undergraduate year at Birzeit University, studied Arabic on a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Damascus and the American University of Cairo, and received a master's in Arab studies from Georgetown University.
Rick first joined the United Nations in 1990 as a refugee affairs officer in Gaza with the UN Relief and Works Agency. He later served at the agency's Vienna headquarters. Since 2001 he had been special assistant to the UN undersecretary general for political affairs. In 1995-96 and 1999-2001, he served as special assistant to the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. He had a long association with the Norwegian Institute for Applied Social Sciences and helped establish its Program for International Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. He was also founding director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum in New York.
Previous Winner:
2014: Abuaoli "Arash"Mohajerinejad, Sociology
