Major: Anthropology

Minor: Chicana and Chicano Studies

Project Title: "Echoes of Injustice and Voices of Resilience: Exploring Lifelong Exposure to Environmental Hazards in East Los Angeles"

David has a keen interest in Latinx and Chicanx agency and reproductive strategies, socio-economic influences on these communities, and oral histories of environmental injustice in unincorporated communities of color in Los Angeles. His primary research interests focus on the interplay between evolutionary psychology, evolutionary biology, and sociocultural variables in the context of Chicanx and Latinx life experiences. 

David's research project for this program delves into the life-long experiences of residents in East Los Angeles, exploring how they have navigated environmental injustices, pollution, contamination, and hazards over generations. This project seeks to unveil personal narratives that highlight the impact of systemic environmental challenges on health perceptions, agency, and adaptive strategies within the community. The Exide Battery smelter issue and lead contamination serve as a focal point, demonstrating the broader pattern of environmental injustices faced by communities of color. By emphasizing personal narratives and their connections to systemic forces, this research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of environmental health disparities and resilience within the context of East Los Angeles.

Major: Geography

Project Title: "Corner Store to Grocery Store Initiatives in South L.A"

Wendy transferred to UCLA in the fall of 2022 from Riverside City College, where she earned her A.A. in Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts. She is a rising fourth-year majoring in Geography. Her SRI project analyzes the approaches L.A. County utilizes when tackling food insecurity in Los Angeles, such as revitalizing corner stores and turning them into grocery stores, and how these projects may or may not end up serving the very community they wished to provide due to underlying issues within the system.

Major: Chicana and Central American Studies

Minor: Anthropology

Project Title: "Save Avenue 34: Environmental Injustice in Lincoln Heights and Community Resistance to Capitalist Developers"

Lincoln Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California. It has been at the center of the city’s history for 150 years and is now at the center of advanced gentrification due to land use policies. Predominately Latino, Lincoln Heights ranks as one of the top communities that are environmentally burdened. A toxic waste site in Lincoln Heights on Avenue 34 serves as a reminder of the neglect that marginalized residents experienced for decades and the risk of displacement they now face due to reinvestment in the form of mega-developments.

Majors: Psychology, English

Minor: Applied Developmental Psychology

Project Title: "The Need for Green (Spaces) Within Metropolitan Areas: A Case-Study of Koreatown, Los Angeles"

Koreatown, a city that is home to many communities of color and migrant families, is one of the least green spaces within the Los Angeles area. As a Los Angeles native and a current resident of Koreatown, Shelby aims to explore the history behind the formation of the area as a city mostly populated with first-generation families and how city/urban planning decisions made in the past can be correlated to the current environmental injustices people are facing today. More specifically, she will examine how the lack of green spaces within the urban area (which is quickly becoming more and more gentrified) can have a negative impact on the developmental psyche of children growing up in the city. In addition, Shelby aims to provide examples of green spaces that can be implemented into the city in the future to tackle some of the environmental injustices, such as shade trees, communal fruit trees, urban community gardens, and small space parks to hopefully contribute to both the physical and mental well-being of the community.

Major: Psychology

Project Title: "What is the role of migration and labor in the upward educational trajectories of first-generation Latino/a students?"

Stephanie Ayala is a rising fourth-year transfer student. She is a Psychology major and plans to minor in Applied Developmental Psychology. She also plans to pursue an Ed.S. in School Psychology after graduating. Her research project examines the role of migration and labor in the upward educational trajectories of first-generation Latino/a students who are undocumented and/or have an immigrant background. More specifically, she is interested in understanding the psychological and emotional impacts, as well as the financial and familial barriers that students may face and how these experiences impact their educational trajectories. This research is inspired by her own personal experiences. 

Similar to many first-generation college students, navigating higher education has been a very challenging experience for Stephanie. Her grandparents migrated to the U.S. from Mexico after having received only elementary school education and worked long hours at factory jobs in Los Angeles to make a living. Her mother graduated from high school and worked double shifts regularly to support her and her siblings. Furthermore, because of the limited body of literature on this specific topic, one of the goals of this project is to create a new conversation that emphasizes positive mental health and the realities that Latino/a students face while in pursuit of their degrees.

Major: Asian American Studies

Project Title: "Challenge for Growth Or a Burden: a Study About Undocumented, Refugee, and Immigrant Students"

Loc Bui (pronounced as Lock Booey) is a first-generation immigrant from the Vietnamese diaspora. He is also a non-traditional student with a transfer student background. Loc's research for the Summer Research Incubator Program is called "Challenge for Growth Or a Burden: A Study About Undocumented, Refugee, and Immigrant Students," and he wants to devote his time in the SRI to learning more about the experience of students with an immigrant background in higher education. Education plays a significant role in transforming his life and the lives of others around him; therefore, he is very interested in getting to know more about this population and how college programs could play an important role in supporting them to finish their degree.

Major: Business Economics

Minor: Data Science

Project Title: "SoCal Exodus: How Changing Population Rates Impact the Future of the Inland Empire"

Brayan Lopez Llamas, originally from the Coachella Valley, is a rising Junior at UCLA majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Data Science. Brayan is interested in studying social justice topics like education, housing, and public policy from an economic perspective. Heavily influenced by his experience growing up in an underserved community in Riverside County, Brayan's SRI research project investigates the changing economic landscape of Southern California's Inland Empire. The IE is one of SoCal's largest regions that houses a population made up primarily of low-income Latinos working for low wages in warehouses and farms across the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Dramatic growth in the region's population and economy during the late 19th century made the Inland Empire the destination for the suburban American Dream as the logistics industry settled in and brought the hope of new jobs and opportunities. However, published studies from the 2000s found that the suburban dream has turned into a nightmare for families dealing with low wages, poor working conditions, and overall unsatisfactory livelihoods. Now, as California's population rate shifts for the first time in history, it reveals a new opportunity to analyze how this change in migration, coupled with the earlier scholarship, will bring about a new wave of developments to the Inland Empire. By using available local, state, and national datasets, Brayan hopes to run an analysis of population rates and economic projections to expose how these new shifts will impact the already vulnerable population of the IE. 

Major: Political Science

Minor: Disability Studies

Project Title: "Know Your Rights: Life, Labor, and Legality in the Central Valley"

Geraldine Pérez is a rising third-year at UCLA majoring in Political Science, double minoring in Disability Studies and Chicana/o and Central American Studies. She holds aspirations of attending law school and becoming an immigration attorney. She is researching the differences between major cities like Los Angeles and small-town cities like those in the Central Valley with regard to migration and labor. Her current project provides an in-depth legal perspective through the lens of day laborers in the Central Valley while developing a Know Your Rights infographic that is relevant to Los Angeles and Central Valley immigrant labor rights. Her research interests in union towns and immigrant laborer rights are rooted in her lived experiences growing up in the Central Valley as the daughter of immigrant agricultural workers. The agricultural industry depends on migrant laborers, yet their contributions to society are overlooked as essential workers. Geraldine hopes that her research will provide the necessary support and advocacy for agricultural workers and immigrant families in the Central Valley.   

Major: Sociology

Minor: Disability Studies

Project Title: "Exploring Accessibility of Academic Accommodations for Autistic College Students"

Nai’a is a rising senior majoring in Sociology and minoring in Disability Studies. Her research focuses on the experiences of autistic college students accessing academic accommodations in higher education. In addition, she is primarily interested in investigating the implicit/explicit barriers that bar this population from receiving the accommodations and services they need to thrive academically, such as social stigma. Nai’a was inspired to create this project after hearing about her fellow neurodivergent peers’ struggles with navigating and attaining the support they need from their university centers or support staff. As a researcher, she hoped to contribute to and expand the academic literature by incorporating the self-advocates perspectives about what gaps need to be addressed by university services. Nai’a believes that using the students as the focus of her project is crucial to uncovering the gaps that educational institutions need to address in order to provide the most efficient services so academic success can become more equitable to college students of all neurotypes.   

Major: Psychobiology

Minor: Disability Studies

Project Title: "Autism Inclusion: Supporting Students in the Classroom"

Maureen Anyadike is a rising junior at UCLA, majoring in psychobiology with a minor in disability studies. Her academic journey reflects a deep commitment to improving the educational experiences of students with autism. Maureen collaborates closely with high school teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to investigate their perceptions, preparation effectiveness, and comfort levels when educating students with autism. Her research project, titled "Autism Inclusion: Supporting Students in the Classroom," aims to illuminate the challenges and opportunities in autism inclusion, with the ultimate goal of enhancing educational practices and the well-being of students with autism. Maureen's passion for inclusivity in education is evident in her research, driven by her personal connection to autism through her younger brother's diagnosis. Her academic interests have evolved from criminal justice to a focus on proactive policing and analytical criminal research in the criminology industry. Her overarching goal is to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of data related to disability, crime, and the educational system, fostering informed and inclusive practices in these areas.

Majors: Political Science, Education and Social Transformation Studies 

Project Title: "Understanding Societal Progression: Sex Education for Students with Disabilities"

Cristopher Espino is a rising second-year double majoring in Political Science (Concentration: Political Theory) and Education and Social Transformation Studies. Before attending law school, Cristopher holds aspirations of attending graduate school in hopes of receiving a Master's in Education Policy.  

Cristopher is a lifelong servant, advocate, and leader. His previous service as a Student Board Member of the Tustin Unified School District sparked a passion for advocating for ethnic studies, sex education, and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Cristopher's research project places a complete emphasis on understanding the level of agreement and the level of support parents hold towards the teaching of sex education to students with disabilities. In his research, he sought both parents with disabled children and parents with nondisabled children to better grasp public opinion and whether or not there was societal progression with respect to this matter.  

Major: Psychology

Minor: Philosophy

Project Title: "The Role of Urban High School Vice Principles in Inclusion"

Julia Most is a rising fourth-year majoring in Psychology with a Philosophy minor and is applying for law school. She is researching the role that vice principals have in creating an inclusive education in American urban high schools. More specifically, she is doing a comparative review of the role of a vice principal in California and a vice principal in Florida. Growing up disabled herself showed her the importance of creating an inclusive environment in high school. This project analyzes each vice principal’s view on their school's culture and the support given to both the teachers and students. Disabled students face challenges that many people can’t fathom; however, research that recommends effective inclusive practices that benefit all students exists. In her paper, Julia examines the implementation by the schools and vice principals of the existing research recommendations for inclusive education.