In Their Words: Anjuli Corzine

Name: Anjuli Corzine

Department: Psychology/Anthropology

College: Cowell

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? Jeremy Demian Marx Award for Cultural Anthropology

What year do you expect to graduate? 2020

Where do you call home? Sunnyvale, CA

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? I really liked the campus, it seemed less industrial than many of the other campuses I visited, and felt more personal in a way. Additionally, the psychology department produces a lot of relevant and interesting research, which intrigued me because I was very interested in becoming a research assistant. While I knew a few people who were going to be attending UCSC, that made little impact on my decision. I think the biggest factor in my choice was the school's reputation for social justice, with a student body that had no qualms about standing up for themselves, and I wanted to be a part of that.

What is your field of focus? My academic interests are broad, but generally developmental/clinical psychology as well as cultural anthropology are my fields of focus.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? I generally hope to go to grad school for either psychology or anthropology. Beyond that, I hope to have a job that lets me work closely with people rather than behind a desk. I have always been passionate about helping people and it’s very satisfying to know when my work means something to someone other than me.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? A memorable moment for me was being a TA for psychology 1. In addition to being able to learn how to teach and work hands on with UCSC students to better their experience, working with the other 12 TA’s was a wonderful and one of a kind experience. Although we hadn’t known each other for long, at the beginning of each meeting we devoted at least 20 minutes to go around the room to check-in with everyone, personally and academically. I think that this is very exemplary of the attitude of the student body as a whole, always willing to listen and support one another because we are all going through a similar experience.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? I would tell them to take advantage of the multitudes of outside opportunities that UCSC offers. Field study, lab work, MSI tutoring, internships across campus, study abroad, volunteering with student orgs, etc. Not only does this help make connections that can help you later on in life, it can also really help you develop a passion or niche interest that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. Once you are out of university, these opportunities often become less accessible, so it’s really important to apply for things now. This year, I made a promise to myself that I would get rejected from at least 3 different opportunities in order to push myself to apply. Coincidently, this award was one of those applications I thought would be rejected, but it wasn’t. All in all, put yourself out there and you never know what might happen!

How will this scholarship/award impact your academic life/research? Next year, I am attempting to complete two senior theses, one for each major. Winning this award boosts my confidence in my writing ability, which I often find myself questioning. I am now much more excited and comfortable in beginning these two projects because my skills have been validated.