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Student Spotlight – Cris Avitia Camacho

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Meet UCLA undergraduate researcher Cris Avitia Camacho!

Cris majors in Chicana and Chicano Studies & Labor Studies, minors in Gender Studies, and is part of the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program. The title of their project is “The Intersections of Culture, Religion, and Identity on Child-Mother Relationships: College-Aged Assigned Female at Birth LGBTQ+ Individuals with Latinx Mothers.” Cris’ work, which examines the effects of religion, culture, and identity on relationships between assigned female at birth LGBTQ+ individuals and their Latinx mothers, is inspired by their own experience as a non-binary lesbian individual with a Latinx mother. Their best piece of advice is to write about something that matters to YOU.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

I first became interested in my research project when I took CCAS M126 Politics of Crisis: Migration, Identity, and Religion and wrote my final research paper about the effects of migration and religion on the mother-child bond. I felt very passionate while writing that topic and wanted to explore it in a different direction, with my own interests in gender and sexuality. Therefore, when the URFP application went live, I decided to give it a shot and apply. I choose to do my research project for URFP on this topic because of my own experiences as a non-binary lesbian individual with a Latinx mother. I’m in the process of interviewing other LGBTQ+ individuals who have a similar identity to mine and see the effects of religion, culture, and identity on relationships between them and their mother. The importance of this is because gender and sexuality are often “taboo” topics within the Latinx community, and I want to give a voice to individuals whose experiences might otherwise be pushed down or unheard.

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

The most exciting aspect of my research so far has been getting to go through the history of gender and sexuality in Latin American cultures, and how it has evolved over time. There’s so much information not readily available or known to the public, and I believe that writing about this topic could allow for open conversations about it. Also, going through the IRB process and getting approval was so rewarding and helped me learn more about the research process for the future!

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

The lengthiness of the research process, there is so much scholarship and documentation to go through. It can be overwhelming at times, but being passionate about it motivates me to continue and when I get in a writing mood, it feels like time is flying by. I feel like going through this research process will prepare me for the future and allow me to become a better writer and researcher. This is a rewarding experience, and the process is so worth it!

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

One piece of advice I have for other UCLA students thinking about doing research is to follow your passions and write about something that matters to YOU! We need more people to care about topics like these and beyond, every idea and thought you have could change the world!

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

I hope that my research allows for small changes within the Latinx community about how we discuss gender and sexuality and dismantle taboos surrounding it. I want people like me or individuals who are friends and family of Latinx LGBTQ+ to feel free to exist unapologetically and know they are not alone in their experiences. I hope this inspires other Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals to also research a similar topic using their experiences because the only way we’ll bring change is if we’re all united. I hope to continue and expand on this research topic in the future because it is so essential to become open-minded and not just tolerant towards LGBTQ+ people in Latinx communities.

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 – Aleeza West

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Meet UCLA undergraduate researcher Aleeza West!

Aleeza majors in Psychology and is a recipient of the UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Undergraduate Research Award. Her project is titled “The Effect of Fear Generalization on Social Fear, Social Avoidance, Experiential Avoidance, and Functional Impairment Amongst Individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder.” Aleeza’s work aims to discover better ways to diagnose and treat individuals with anxiety. Her best advice is to always look for opportunities, even if you have to ask.

How did you first get interested in your research project?

I became interested in pursuing an independent research project upon joining Dr. Michelle Craske’s Anxiety and Depression Center. Through my experience as a research assistant and moving on to coordinating multiple studies, I became curious about leading my own project. After developing my idea with my mentors, I applied and was accepted to both the UCLA departmental honors program in Psychology and the UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Undergraduate Research Awards program.

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

The most exciting aspect has been designing my project. I am passionate about discovering better ways to diagnose and treat individuals with anxiety, and being able to create a project surrounding my research interests has been an amazing experience.

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

What surprised me about the research process is how much I have learned throughout it. I have grown so much thanks to my mentors, Nora and Brooke, about data management, statistics, and overall research processes.

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

I advise other UCLA students to always look for opportunities, even if you have to ask! The worst thing that a possible mentor could say is no.

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

I hope my research journey inspires others to be confident enough to pursue their own independent experiences. Furthermore, I hope that my research can inform diagnostic and treatment options of those living with social anxiety.