Name: Socorro Ramírez-Gamiño
College: College Nine
Department: Latin American and Latino Studies, Sociology
What award/scholarship did you receive? 2017 Walsh Family Scholarship
What year do you expect to graduate (e.g. 2017)? Spring 2018
Where do you call home? Guadalupe, California
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? The LALS department was so unique to me that something about it felt special. I couldn’t pin point what exactly, but I knew that this department was the place I was meant to be a part of. It has provided me a family within faculty, staff and among my peers. Not only was I lucky enough to have such a supportive department. Along with a great department, is the unique ambiance of the beach and forest. I love nature for its fresh air and calming vibes and I am glad I made the choice to be a banana slug.
What is your field of focus? Education and migration patterns.
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? Once I graduate from UCSC I hope to find a job within education or organizing within the community. These are two main passions that I strive for each and every day. I love learning in the classroom and helping others acknowledge their intelligence, but I also love learning from the community and being a part of it as much as possible.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? The power students have. Organizing with other students is one of the most powerful skills I have learned and it makes me so happy to share these experiences with other students who love to organize. Student activism to me is important because we need to remain active at all times, especially being a woman of color. When students organize, we learn to become leaders and active voices for our communities.
What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? Being a transfer student, I have so much love and respect for our community because we have overcome so many obstacles to just get into the university system. One piece of advice I would give to my transfer students is to always remain humble and never forget where you come from. It is because of our struggles and the people who never gave up on us that, reminded us of our strengths to reach higher education. Having transferred and experience time away from my home, I now have a greater appreciation and more love for my hometown and everyone who has inspired me in some way. And I know everything I do, is to come back home and be of a resource to others, as I was given once the opportunity.
How will this scholarship impact your academic life/research? This scholarship will help me in alleviating some financial stress that I am currently feeling. I will be studying abroad in the Fall and I am extremely excited because I am ready for a new experience that will provide me a new perspective on life outside of western centered ideologies. I know that my experience after study abroad will help me understand the educational system and migration patterns at a whole new level. Transferring to UCSC has helped strengthen my critical thinking abilities and I can only imagine how much knowledge I will gain from exposing myself to new ideas of life.
