Alejandra Lax

Name:  Alejandra Lax

College: Porter College

Department: Anthropology

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive?  The Ryan Heumann Anthropology Undergraduate Scholarship

What year do you expect to graduate? Spring 2021

Where do you call home?  Los Angeles, California

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? UC Santa Cruz stood out to me for its beautiful campus and amazing anthropology department. Professor Alison Galloway was a main factor in deciding on UCSC due to her working in my field of focus. Upon first stepping foot on campus, I just knew it was the one for me.

What is your field of focus? I plan to focus in biological anthropology with an emphasis in forensics.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? Once I graduate, I hope to gain experience through internships and do a dual Masters/PhD program for forensics or skeletal biology.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? A moment that stood out to me was taking THEA 80L (Muppet Magic). It was a class that was enjoyable, fun, and educational. The end result of making a muppet was a highlight of my undergraduate career.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz?  One advice for incoming students would be to talk to faculty! It seems daunting but they want to speak to you and help you—whether it be helping you narrow down an interest field or just to give life advice.

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research? This scholarship will impact my academic life as it will go towards a travel based internship. This internship will help me advance in my career goals and allow me to be published as a post-grad.