Jessica Aguilar, a student in the division's Sociology department received the Weiss Family Scholarship for her work with the Center for Labor Studies' Santa Cruz Low-Wage Worker Study.
Congratulations Jessica!
Department: Sociology
What Scholarship did you receive? Weiss Family Scholarship
What year are you? 4th year
College: Nine
Where do you call home? East Los Angeles, CA.
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out?
Going away for college was not part of my plans, and I applied to Santa Cruz but never had the opportunity of visiting the campus. Once I was accepted and Googled UCSC, I fell in love with the campus, so I decided this was the place for me.
What is your field of focus? Sociology
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz?
Once I graduate from Santa Cruz, I plan to work for organizations that deal with low-wage work, or health-care issues. I plan to attend grad school, but first I would like to gain some work experience and pay off my loans.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here?
Helping conduct research for Steve Mckay is one of the most memorable moments because I’ve always wanted to expand my knowledge outside of class. I am glad I was able to have this opportunity as an undergrad, and hope other students can too.
What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz?
Enjoy every single moment of this beautiful place! You’re only an undergraduate once, so make the best out of this experience.
How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research?
I will be using this scholarship to study abroad this upcoming fall in Thailand to further my cultural knowledge and apply what I’ve learned as a sociology undergrad to future life experiences.
