Guneet Hora

College Affiliation: College Nine

Department(s): Psychology and Legal Studies

What Award/Scholarship did you receive? I received the 2022 Dr. Aaronette White Scholarship.

When do you expect to graduate? I expect to graduate in Spring 2023.

Where do you call home? I am originally from the East Bay area. Specifically, I am from San Ramon, California.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? I decided to attend UC Santa Cruz because of the rich history of student activism and advocacy that exists here. I was inspired seeing how students have stood up for themselves and others on important social issues, and wanted to see myself doing the same.

What is your field of focus? I am pursuing a B.A. in Intensive Psychology and a B.A. in Legal Studies. After college, I am hoping to focus specifically on the fields of forensic and social psychology, criminal justice, and human rights law.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? Once I graduate from UC Santa Cruz, I plan to take a gap year to pursue research in criminal and human rights law, as part of a lab or initiative. After my gap year, I hope to attend graduate school under a joint program, pursuing both a PhD in social psychology and a JD with a focus in immigration law. I plan to use my background in these disciplines to research and develop ways that we can improve the mental health of marginalized communities, especially those impacted by our immigration and justice systems.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? One memorable moment that stands out for me as a student here is my time working in the Davenport Resource Service Center, a project under the Blum Center at UCSC. Through the experience, I was able to create a safe space for undocumented immigrants in the Santa Cruz County, and provide them with pro bono legal services to help them attain immigration remedies. A specific moment that particularly resonates with me was having the opportunity to conduct legal research at the Santa Cruz Courthouse to assist one of our clients in a U-VISA immigration case. The experience was transformative for me because it allowed me to explore my interests in criminal and immigration law, and showed me more about what a career in those fields might look like.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? One piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz is to form strong connections with your professors and teaching assistants. These connections will undoubtedly help you in your future pursuits, whether that is graduate school, landing a job post-graduation, or another path.

How will this scholarship impact your academic life/research? This scholarship will impact my academic life/research because it will allow me to support myself as I pursue graduate school under a joint program. Identifying with a low-income immigrant community comes with its own unique set of challenges; this scholarship will aid me as I navigate these obstacles.