Guneet Hora

Name: Guneet Hora

College: College Nine

Department: Psychology and Legal Studies

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? I received the 2023 Weiss Family Scholarship.

What year do you expect to graduate? I will be graduating from UCSC in Spring 2023!

Where do you call home? I am originally from the East Bay. 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 its rich history of student activism resonated with me. As the daughter of formerly undocumented immigrants, I grew up watching my parents experience various violations of their basic human rights as they navigated the new social norms and oftentimes harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric that came with being a part of American society. Because of my background, I felt compelled to choose a college that places a heavy emphasis on social justice issues, thereby allowing me to deepen my involvement in advocacy work. I have found that UC Santa Cruz has been the perfect place to do so!

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

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? Once I graduate from UC Santa Cruz, I plan on taking a gap year to gain more legal experience before attending graduate school. In graduate school, I hope to pursue a joint program to obtain both a PhD in social psychology and a JD with a focus in criminal and/or human rights law. My eventual goal is to conduct research on alternatives to prison, and pursue advocacy work on behalf of those disadvantaged by our justice system.

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 at UCSC is my time as a student researcher in the Human Rights Investigations Lab, housed in the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas. Being in the lab allowed me to promote justice for communities adversely affected by human rights violations, as well as learn key collaboration, problem-solving, and leadership skills. My work in the lab was incredibly rewarding, allowing me to publish several works and, in doing so, achieve accountability for our most vulnerable communities. A specific moment in the lab that particularly resonates with me is our UC Symposium on Digital Investigations, duringwhich our team was given the opportunity to meet other student researchers and faculty members from UC Berkeley and UCLA, and present our research findings from our work this past year. It was a wonderful opportunity to network with others interested in advancing human rights, and enabled our lab to better understand the profound, interconnected nature of our work.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? One piece of advice that I have for incoming students about life at UCSC is to balance your academics with taking care of yourself. Although college life can be demanding at times, it is important to find activities that rejuvenate your energy levels. Take breaks, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and prioritize your emotional and physical well-being. UCSC has a ton of beautiful outdoor spaces – take advantage of them for some much-needed relaxation time!

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research? This scholarship will guide my academic life/research by helping me to support myself as I navigate the post-graduate world. The stability that it will provide will reduce my financial burden by allowing me to dedicate more time and energy to my post-grad exams, potential research projects, and professional development endeavors. I hope to one day give back to my community in a similar way.