Your gift provides awards to support undergraduate field study projects in Latin America or in Latina/o/x communities within the United States.
This award is open to all UCSC undergraduates, with priority given to Merrill College students, Latin American & Latino Studies majors, and Politics majors whose projects reflect the founding spirit and vision of Joel Frankel. Undergraduate field study is an enriching, career-building experience for students who are interested in applying classroom knowledge to advance their understanding of the cultures of this hemisphere.
The Joel Frankel Scholarship Fund is named in honor of Joel Frankel (Politics, ‘79), who had a strong interest in Latin America and Third World Studies and was co-founder and coordinator of the World Studies Table. Joel was an active member of the Merrill community. He firmly believed in the emphasis that UCSC placed on experiential learning and utilized many of the unique programs and facilities Merrill and UCSC had to offer and was particularly concerned about humanitarian struggles in Central America and South Africa. Joel died of leukemia on March 31, 1982, at the age of 24, and annual awards from the Joel Frankel Fund are made in honor of his life and impact.