Student Experience
Social Sciences Division honors student awardees at annual luncheon
On June 5 at the Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn, the Division of Social Sciences hosted its annual student awards luncheon to honor and recognize changemakers making a difference through their academic and research excellence.
On June 5 at the Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn, the Division of Social Sciences hosted its annual student awards luncheon to honor and recognize changemakers making a difference through their academic and research excellence. Many of these awardees have left their mark at UC Santa Cruz and in the communities where they have been engaged, and they are opening doors for critical inquiry on groundbreaking topics for the greater good.
Undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty gathered alongside Interim Sciences Dean Herbie Lee, who presented awards to 29 students from 11 academic programs and one research center.
“It is exciting to see so many students finding their path to social and environmental impact work through rigorous theses, research projects, and community-engaged research endeavors,” Lee said. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are able to recognize high-impact student work through awards that can help to close financial gaps in opportunity.”
Learn more about each of the 2026 student awardees.
Social Sciences Division Awards
Keeley Coastal Scholars Award
- Malashree Bhargava, politics
Project title: Review of the Gender-Responsive Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Response Plan: Incorporating Community and Women’s Organizations’ Feedback for the Update - Camille Coriell, critical race & ethnic studies
Project title: Developing Guidance for Dune Living Shoreline Projects in Monterey Bay - Aliya Khan, earth & planetary sciences
Project title: Lateral Carbon Flux in the Elkhorn Slough: An Aqueous Carbon Budget In a California Salt Marsh
Daniel Briggs Memorial Award
- Jenna Contuchio, evolutionary ecology and biology, coastal science and policy
Project title: Habitat Validation and Community Science Network Expansion in the Channel Islands
Rick Hooper Scholarship
- Aisha Lemseffer, legal studies and Spanish studies
- Niya Mustafa, critical race & ethnic studies, education
Milam-McGinty-Kaun Award for Teaching Excellence
- Sanjana Gupta, economics
- Siyu Luo, environmental studies
- Christina Blebea, environmental studies
Benjamin Quaye Memorial Award for Social Justice
- Jesus Vargas, Latin American and Latino studies, intensive psychology
- Jose Parra, psychology
Walsh Family Scholarship
- Alex Santiago, politics
- Sofia Donaldson Florez, legal studies
Weiss Family Scholarship
- Jill Cobb, Center for Economic Justice and Action
- Emily Burich, Center for Economic Justice and Action
Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship
- Allison Duran-Majano, education, democracy, and justice
- Kyla Spencer, psychology
- Kameron Tessier, politics
- Aisha Lemseffer, legal studies
Division of Undergraduate Education Awards
The Division of Undergraduate Education awards recognize Social Sciences majors who have completed outstanding undergraduate research alongside faculty mentors as part of their senior exit requirements or capstone projects. Ten Deans’ awards are presented each year as part of this awards program, with three of those also receiving the Chancellor’s Award.
2026 Chancellor’s Award and Deans’ Undergraduate Award for Undergraduate Research
- Lauren Schreck, environmental studies
Project title: Unprecedented distrust of science: The Trump Administration’s threat to democracy, society, and the environment - Hakim Moghaddami, politics
Project title: From Public Rents to Public Returns: A Social Wealth Fund for America - Jenna DiNapoli, anthropology
Project title: Observations on the social integration of immigrant female Eastern chimpanzees into a new community from long-term camera trap footage
2026 Deans’ Award for Undergraduate Research
- Amaya Aquino, psychology
Project title: Preconscious Bias and Disgust Sensitivity: A Breakthrough Continuous Flash Suppression Study - Diana Castaneda, sociology
Project title: Public Knowledge and Opinion of Mass Incarceration in the U.S. - Skyla Tomine, politics
Project title: State Repression and Movement Trajectory: Immigrant Justice Activism Under the Trump Administration (2017-2025) - Kashvie Doshi, psychology
Project title: REAP: Reverse Engineering a Perpetrator - Marilu Jacinto Jimenez, politics
Project title: Cartel Welfare in Mexico: The Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion as Non-State Social Assistance Providers - Evan Taylor, politics
Project title: Care at The Heart of The U.S. Empire: A Critique of Settler Care - Angelo Baracco, politics
Project title: Delayed by Design? Executive Plurality and Emergency Action
Your support for student scholarships can help close financial barriers for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing groundbreaking scholarship and research endeavors.
Learn more about how we’re supporting Student Success through our Inspiring Change fundraising campaign.