Marisol Ornelas

Name: Marisol Ornelas

College: Stevenson 

Department: Politics and Legal Studies

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? I received the Valerie Fuette Scholarship 

What year do you expect to graduate? I expect to graduate in Spring 2024 

What year do you expect to graduate? My Home is Fairfield, CA. However, the Community in Santa Cruz has been extremely welcoming, making it easy to find a second home.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? What made UC Santa Cruz stand out is the strong student activism. I wanted to go somewhere where students were equally passionate about social issues. I fell in love with the campus forest environment, which was calming after midterms and finals. As a first-generation and low-income student, UCSC had a lot to offer through EOP and HSI initiatives.

What is your field of focus? My field of focus is Politics and Legal Studies. The specifics are subject to change, but currently, I am most interested in labor and education policy.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? After I graduate from UC Santa Cruz, I hope to attend Law school and practice family or labor law. I would like to continue to lend myself as a resource, give back to my community, and get involved in education policy that makes higher education more equitable and accessible.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? A memorable moment would be the unwritten tradition I share with my housemates, where we always gather at the dinner table after a long day of studying. And we destress by telling each other about our day and things that were causing us the most stress at the current moment. Then, we would work together to suggest methods to deal with the stress and give each other support. We would also spend long nights discussing our views on societal issues. This is an experience of community and intellect that I would not be able to experience at just any University.

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 advocate for yourself. No one will know when you need help until you ask. Make it your job to learn about the resources that UCSC has to offer. Apply to every opportunity you are interested in because you never know when a door opens.

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research? This scholarship will lessen the financial burden that I face as I continue to navigate my academic career while balancing three jobs and my student involvement. I hope that I will be able to work less to focus on the things I am most passionate about.