Gloriana Lopez

Name:  Gloriana Lopez

College:  Social Sciences II

Department:  Psychology

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive?  Lionel Cantú Memorial Award 

What year do you expect to graduate? Spring 2024

Where do you call home? Los Angeles, California

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out?  The university’s commitment to inclusion and social justice.

What is your field of focus?  Psychology

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz?  Get a tenured position at a California State University and mentor the next generation of Latinx and LGBTQ students.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here?  Being part of the New Generation of Learning (NGL), a multidisciplinary research community, has been one of my best experiences at the University because in this group our goal is to advocate for a learning environment that uses the strengths minoritized students bring with them to learning spaces.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz?  Depending on where you are coming from, you might experience culture shock for the first couple of years in the program. Your peers will become your part of, if not the most important tool, in your survival kit.

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research?  This scholarship will be instrumental in me being able to conduct research this summer.