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Student Spotlight – Paula Zepeda

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Meet UCLA undergraduate researcher Paula Zepeda!

Paula majors in Political Science, minors in Latin American Studies, and is part of the UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Undergraduate Research Awards program. The title of her project is “Inclusion and Exclusion in U.S. Immigration Rhetoric: Party, Constituency, and Co-Ethnicity in the House of Representatives.” Paula’s research brings forth a new perspective on legislative behavior encompassing the underlying racial bias embedded in the political system and a deeper understanding of the driving factors influencing legislators’ decisions on federal immigration bills. Her best piece of advice is to embrace your curiosity and actively engage with new information from a variety of sources.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

After taking Political Science classes covering topics like Latino Politics and news media, I became fascinated with the effects Latinos have had in transforming the American political landscape and the harm politicians inflict on minority groups when restricting them into stereotypes, thus increasing my curiosity to study the existing tensions between race/ethnicity and American politics in my research project. I was introduced to academic research during my sophomore year when I worked as a research assistant to graduate students. I am a first-generation Latina student, and those experiences have been valuable in introducing me to a new area in academia that I previously never knew about before becoming a UCLA student. I decided to apply to the Departmental Honors Program for Political Science, and am grateful for the unique opportunity that this program and the UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Undergraduate Research Awards program have provided me with to develop my thesis about U.S. House members’ immigration rhetoric amidst political polarization.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

The most exciting aspect of my research has been examining the variety of sources that make information about Congressional actions and events accessible to read and watch. I have learned about website sources C-Span and Congressional Record that have bountiful information on speeches and debates that members of Congress have engaged in over the years. I can find videos dating back to the 1980s and compare the rhetoric past members have employed when speaking about immigration to the present day. Watching debates and speeches by members of Congress has been one of my favorite parts so far during this research process!

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

I am surprised that during the research process, investigations, as well as revisions to one’s work, continue and never stop. I read scholarly articles daily to add to my thesis, and am always learning something new that strengthens my understanding of immigration rhetoric and legislative behavior. Ideas expand and they capture my attention because it enhances my ability to converse with the concepts in my arguments and theory.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

Embrace your curiosity! Actively engage with the information provided in class, online, books, or even in conversations with family or friends by either challenging or questioning it because the academic field continues to grow. The contributions you can make in research add valuable knowledge to the ongoing scholarly debates, as well as to the greater community.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

I hope my research brings forth a new perspective on legislative behavior encompassing the underlying racial bias embedded in the political system and a deeper understanding of the driving factors influencing legislators’ decisions on federal immigration bills. Immigration is one big topic of debate that Congress has disputed since its establishment in 1789. It continues to be a policy area where political parties are highly polarized and might resort to descriptions of immigrants as economic threats or criminals in order to justify their support behind restrictive immigration laws. I hope my research propels legislators to create arguments about immigration bills grounded in facts rather than assumptions because their legislative decisions on immigration impact various ethnic groups nationwide, especially Latinos, who embody the largest minority group in the United States, as well as undocumented immigrants who reside in the nation of immigrants where anti-immigrant sentiments persist.

Student Spotlight – Frank Godinez

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Meet UCLA undergraduate researcher Frank Godinez!

Frank majors in Sociology and Political Science and is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. The title of his project is “Police, Nonprofits and the Carceral Web.” Frank studies critical theory, Marxist theory, carceral capitalism, and the police state, and is using his research to employ a critical approach in advocating for/creating epistemologies that dignify and assert the agency of those harmed by—and who’ve resisted—systems of oppression. His best piece of advice is to read about a topic that interests you and don’t be so strict about the research process.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

I took a methods course that came really easy to me, and one day, I came across a section on ethnography. I remember thinking, “Wow, this is research?” Over the break, I read a book mentioned in our textbook, Sudhir Venkatesh’s Gang Leader for a Day. Being from South Central and system-impacted, I remember having so many critiques of the project. So, when I took Dr. Jason Sexton’s Sociology of Crime course, and the final project was a research project, I knew what I was going to do. I conducted a small ‘ethnography’ documenting the oral histories of (former) gang members, reconciling their narratives with larger sociohistorical and political-economic trends. At the same time, I connected with Dr. David Turner and joined his Abolition and Youth Organizing lab on campus, where we have been researching the Police Free Schools Campaign throughout LA County. Dr. Turner recommended that I apply to an SR-EIP program, and so I did. I got into UChicago’s Summer program and spent nine weeks in Chicago working with Dr. Robert Vargas on an independent project that looked at police philanthropy (private funding of police departments). After the summer, I decided I wanted to turn my project into a senior thesis and was encouraged by Dr. Vargas to work with Dr. Chris Herring at UCLA on my project. Since then, I’ve been admitted into the Mellon Mays Program while also working as a Bunche Research Fellow for Dr. Turner. I’ll continue multiple projects over my next quarters at UCLA.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

I love falling into rabbit holes. And I love it when I find a source that is right on the money of the question/topic I’m interested in exploring. Specifically, I study critical theory, Marxist theory, carceral capitalism, and the police state. I also view my interest in the politics of abolition as a large, interconnected struggle, and seeing how there are so many different angles people have taken or that I can take in interrogating social life and institutions gives me hope. I also really enjoy that my research is grounded in a commitment to my community, and I would never want my research to be divorced from topics that are informed by my own personal experiences and identities.

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

Probably just how iterative and creative you can be with it. I think there are specific recipes for what ‘traditional’ (social) science research looks like, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. It doesn’t have to be a step-by-step process like a controlled life sciences study. So, I try to be as creative as possible when I piece together what different authors have said about topics like carceral capitalism or what it even means. You’ll find that people trained differently (e.g., geographers/sociologists/public health) will offer different, interdisciplinary perspectives. This produces really complex and complicated pictures/answers to a lot of the social problems pressing us today. So, I try to unlearn a lot of strictly binary ways of thinking and or understanding things, especially social life.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

Just read. Read about a topic that interests you and try to develop a question. It doesn’t have to be precise. Not unless you’re committing to a research program or something. Also, don’t be so strict with the process. Research is so iterative that you can approach it from so many different angles. Be it qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods – the choice is yours. That’s also why reading what other people have read can be a good starting point.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

I am optimistic that I can someday become a leading scholar in urban sociological research with expertise in various specialized topics (policing, youth organizing, gangs, law, and policy) supplemented by my own lived experience to influence policy and the critical analysis of social and political institutions. I recognize that as a system-impacted male of color, I offer a lens that is highly underrepresented in the academy. My lived experience inspires me to employ a critical approach in advocating for/creating epistemologies that dignify and assert the agency of those harmed by—and who’ve resisted—systems of oppression.

Student Spotlight – Geraldine Perez

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Meet UCLA undergraduate researcher Geraldine Perez!

Geraldine majors in Political Science, minors in Disability Studies and Chicana/o and Central American Studies, and participated in the Summer Research Incubator program. The title of her project is “Know Your Rights: Life, Labor, and Legality in the Central Valley.” Gerladine’s work is inspired by her passion for immigration advocacy and her personal experience as the daughter of immigrant agricultural workers. Her research explores how employment discrimination, legal status, and activism influence migrant families in relation to labor. Geraldine’s best piece of advice is to build on the concepts you are passionate about to create a transformative experience in your academic and personal growth journey.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

My passion for immigration advocacy was initiated in my childhood, as I have experienced the impacts of migration first-hand. Growing up in the Central Valley, migrant workers are not unfamiliar, producing 25% of the nation’s food. As the daughter of immigrant agricultural workers, my family would also often travel from Mexico to the United States and seek work under seasonal produce, while others would migrate within the country to support their families. Immigration affects the number of workers in the economy, demonstrating a direct correlation between immigration and the labor market. My interest in supporting immigrant families has led to my curiosity about how employment discrimination, legal status, and activism influence migrant families when it comes to labor.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

I enjoyed building a community with like-minded individuals who were passionate about their work. I also had the opportunity to work with and learn from my amazing mentor, Iris Ramirez, who helped make this program an amazing experience. I was able to combine my interests in legal advocacy, social media, and design to create a project I was proud of. I enjoyed visualizing and finally seeing my project come together despite the few doubts that occurred throughout the early stages of my research.

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

I was surprised to find the lack of information regarding my topic at the beginning stages of my research. Most of the current data was not specific to the region I originally intended to investigate, which is why I had to focus on the Central Valley or California at large instead of diving into my hometown. This emphasized the importance of my desire to advocate for the Central Valley community. I was also unaware of the many injustices proposed by the law in the United States when it comes to migrant workers, which is disappointing.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

I advise students to build on the concepts they are passionate about to create a transformative experience in their academic and personal growth journey. By engaging in something you care about, the time spent working on it does not seem laborious but fulfilling. No matter the size of the topic, the power it holds can make such a difference. I encourage students to identify their passions and embrace them as tools for self-discovery and change.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

I hope my research will provide the necessary support and advocacy for agricultural workers and immigrant families in the Central Valley. The law is supposed to protect workers, but threats continue to be used to justify wrongdoings. The existing research demonstrates the importance of studying migration in smaller cities in the Central Valley and in understanding immigrant communities. It sheds light on the background of migrant workers and the struggles they face daily. This is why it is important to look into small agricultural cities just as much as large ones. It allows migrant workers to receive the benefits they deserve, and it gives Central Valley communities the chance to be fairly represented when making decisions. It provides support and adds to the importance of building on immigrant research in academia to prevent the recurrence of ignoring agricultural workers and immigrant families in our legal system.

Student Spotlight – Luis R. Garcia Chavez

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Meet UCLA undergraduate researcher Luis R. Garcia Chavez!

Luis R. Garcia Chavez majors in Political Science and Labor Studies, minors in Public Affairs, and participated in our Summer Research Incubator! The title of his project is “Tracing A Perpetual Struggle: Do Immigration Rates Affect Unionization?” His work explores the intersection of immigration and labor. His best piece of advice is to not be intimidated to ask for help!

How did you first get interested in your research project?

I came from an immigrant, working-class household who has faced struggles with poverty, abuse from employers, and lack of power. As a result, I was drawn to to the opportunity to explore the intersection of immigration and labor. I specifically wanted to understand how immigration may affect unionization, and the reason why immigrants fall behind unionization compared to other workers.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

The most exciting aspect of my research is understanding the designs and methods that are needed for analysis. Before this program, I vaguely understood the different methods used in research papers but did not know how to replicate the process. But with the SRI program, I was able to practice and achieve familiarity with quantitative analysis that leaves the door open for me to explore other research questions.

What has surprised you about your research or the research process?

An often overlooked part of worker organizations that academia doesn’t explore enough is how the structures of industry affects unionization. For example, in the janitorial industry in Los Angeles, building owners don’t directly hire the janitorial staff; instead they create a contract with a third-party company that hires the staff. This makes it difficult for unionization to occur as the building owner would just end the contract with the janitorial company to prevent rising labor costs. This impedes unionization and even prevents labor enforcement.

What is one piece of advice you have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research?

Don’t be intimidated to ask for help when you don’t know something about research. Your mentors and research leads hold years of experience that you can tap into to make your research more valid and reliable.

What effect do you hope your research has in your field, at UCLA, in your community, or in the world?

I hope my research inspires other students to conduct further research on the intersection of immigration and unions. Furthermore, I hope this inspires students and policymakers to enact revolutionary reforms to truly change the status quo.