In Their Words: Uriel Serrano
Name: Uriel Serrano 
Department: Sociology
What Scholarship or Award did you receive? Lionel Cantu Memorial Award, 2018.
What year are you (1st year, 3rd year)? I am currently in a 2nd year PHD student and will begin my 3rd year Fall quarter 2018.
College: N/A
Where do you call home? South Los Angeles is home for me.
What is your field of focus? I am a sociologists of race, education, and youth studies.
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? The commitment to social justice and community based research in the Sociology Department and the work of Dr. Veronica Terrique.
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? My goal is to become a faculty, a mentor to first-generation students of color, and to continue my research and work on youth organizations.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? At the end of the 2017 Fall quarter, a student in my section—it was my first time TAing—gave me thank you note. The note came from a recent transfer student from Los Angeles, who besides thanking me for the quarter, thanked me for helping them feel at home in the classroom.
How will this scholarship/award impact your academic life/research? The Lionel Cantú Memorial Award will fund a portion of my travel to South Los Angeles where my dissertation takes place. Furthermore, a portion of the award will be used to support my travel to the American Sociological Association 2019 Annual Meeting as I begin to place my dissertation work in conversation with other scholars in the field of Black and Latinx Sociology.
For research awards, please include a one paragraph description of our research written for a general audience.
What Scholarship or Award did you receive? Lionel Cantu Memorial Award, 2018.
What year are you (1st year, 3rd year)? I am currently in a 2nd year PHD student and will begin my 3rd year Fall quarter 2018.
College: N/A
Where do you call home? South Los Angeles is home for me.
What is your field of focus? I am a sociologists of race, education, and youth studies.
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? The commitment to social justice and community based research in the Sociology Department and the work of Dr. Veronica Terrique.
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? My goal is to become a faculty, a mentor to first-generation students of color, and to continue my research and work on youth organizations.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? At the end of the 2017 Fall quarter, a student in my section—it was my first time TAing—gave me thank you note. The note came from a recent transfer student from Los Angeles, who besides thanking me for the quarter, thanked me for helping them feel at home in the classroom.
How will this scholarship/award impact your academic life/research? The Lionel Cantú Memorial Award will fund a portion of my travel to South Los Angeles where my dissertation takes place. Furthermore, a portion of the award will be used to support my travel to the American Sociological Association 2019 Annual Meeting as I begin to place my dissertation work in conversation with other scholars in the field of Black and Latinx Sociology.
For research awards, please include a one paragraph description of our research written for a general audience.
My research explores how and to what extent participation in community based organizations is contributing to the identity development, leadership, and well-being of Black and Latino young men. I focus on community based organization in South Los Angeles to capture how Black and Latino young men are coming to understand their multiple identities; understandings of social injustices; and their role in affecting community change. In addition, I explore how the programming in these organizations shapes the masculinities of Black and Latino young men through their cultural and healing informed practices.
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