Jacelyn Omusi

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As a multi-ethnic, Black woman from Southeast San Diego— a region widely characterized as “ghetto”— I embody the unique bridging of polarizing cultures and backgrounds. As a result, my intersectional identity and past experiences compel my personal interests, and educational and career goals.  Reflecting on my own privileges and disadvantages throughout my K-12 education, I realize how our education system advantages others, including myself, at the expense of others. This realization fuels my compelling interests in exploring intersectionality and oppressive structures in school. These interests are actualized in my educational and personal goals— I aspire to embody a community-engaged scholar whose commitment to social justice is evident in all areas of my life. More specifically, at UCLA,  my participation in transformative courses that focused on topics like Interracial Dynamics, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and Inequities in Education not only heavily influenced my decision to double major in Sociology and African American Studies and minor in Education Studies, but also impacted the ways in which I view and conduct research: I actively participate in socially-conscious research projects and have even completed my own project on the criminalization of Black girls in school. Moreover, I also work as the Embedded Inquiry Specialist for Interracial Dynamics Cluster and serve as the Project Director for the Afrikan Education Project (AEP), a student organization that uses education and mentorship to serve scholars residing in Compton, CA. These experiences inform my work, captivating my desire to use research and educational praxis to empower disenfranchised communities. As a fourth-year, I am currently pursuing both College and Departmental Honors in Sociology where I am writing my Senior Thesis on Black and Brown Youth residing in Compton, CA. For my project, I am conducting an ethnographic study on the interactions between UCLA student volunteers and the children they serve, specifically examining the ways in which race and class shape disciplinary practices. After graduating in June 2019, I aim to pursue a doctoral degree in either Sociology or Education. Eventually, I hope to work as a Professor in order to not only continue conducting socially-conscious research but also inspire students, like myself, to use education and research as an instrument for intellectual and social liberation.

As a multi-ethnic, Black woman from Southeast San Diego— a region widely characterized as “ghetto”— I embody the unique bridging of polarizing cultures and backgrounds. As a result, my intersectional identity and past experiences compel my personal interests, and educational and career goals.  Reflecting on my own privileges and disadvantages throughout my K-12 education, I realize how our education system advantages others, including myself, at the expense of others. This realization fuels my compelling interests in exploring intersectionality and oppressive structures in school. These interests are actualized in my educational and personal goals— I aspire to embody a community-engaged scholar whose commitment to social justice is evident in all areas of my life. More specifically, at UCLA,  my participation in transformative courses that focused on topics like Interracial Dynamics, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and Inequities in Education not only heavily influenced my decision to double major in Sociology and African American Studies and minor in Education Studies, but also impacted the ways in which I view and conduct research: I actively participate in socially-conscious research projects and have even completed my own project on the criminalization of Black girls in school. Moreover, I also work as the Embedded Inquiry Specialist for Interracial Dynamics Cluster and serve as the Project Director for the Afrikan Education Project (AEP), a student organization that uses education and mentorship to serve scholars residing in Compton, CA. These experiences inform my work, captivating my desire to use research and educational praxis to empower disenfranchised communities.

As a fourth-year, I am currently pursuing both College and Departmental Honors in Sociology where I am writing my Senior Thesis on Black and Brown Youth residing in Compton, CA. For my project, I am conducting an ethnographic study on the interactions between UCLA student volunteers and the children they serve, specifically examining the ways in which race and class shape disciplinary practices. After graduating in June 2019, I aim to pursue a doctoral degree in either Sociology or Education. Eventually, I hope to work as a Professor in order to not only continue conducting socially-conscious research but also inspire students, like myself, to use education and research as an instrument for intellectual and social liberation.