Join us for the Institute for Social Transformation’s annual student showcase, celebrating the incredible work of our Building Belonging Fellows! This special event highlights the achievements of undergraduate fellows through dynamic 2-minute flash talks that share their research with the broader community.

The event will be held in person on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. in the Seymour Center La Feliz Room, followed by an outdoor reception with light refreshments on the Oceanview Terrace from 5:00–5:30 p.m.

All are welcome—students, faculty, staff, family, and friends—we look forward to celebrating together!

 

Student Presentations

 

Cienca en Relatos: Latine Families’ Talk About Science in Stories with Young Children

Dana Alvarez Hernandez, Psychology / Anthropology 

Alessia Ramos, Psychology 

Faculty Mentor: Maureen Callanan, Psychology 

 

Migrant Farmworkers and the Role of Corporate Chaplaincy 

Ali Gutierrez-Esquivel, Global Community Health 

Faculty Mentor: Laura Beth Bugg, Global Community Health 

 

Associations between Intimate Partner Violence, Depression, Perceived Stress, and Child Growth 

Aaliyah Balangue, Global Community Health / Feminist Studies 

Journey Bliss, Global Community Health / Environmental Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Audrie Lin, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, and Global Community Health 

 

How do Children Think about Death?

Jasmine Barragan, Psychology 

Faculty Mentor: David Menendez, Psychology

 

UCSC Chicanx/Latinx Student Activist Histories 

Luis Garcia, Latin American and Latino Studies 

Julian Serrano, Sociology 

Faculty Mentor: Jessica Taft, Latin American and Latino Studies 

 

Trans Migrant Life Histories in Iquitos, Peru 

Allison Duran Majano, Latin American and Latino Studies / Psychology / Education

Faculty Mentor: Justin Perez, Latin American and Latino Studies 

 

California Air Resources Board Racial Equity Inventory 

Scarlett Ortega Velez, Environmental Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Mijin Cha, Environmental Studies 

 

Contested Legitimacy and Transformative Climate Urbanism: A Comparative Examination of Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Francisco

Crystal Solis, Politics 

Faculty Mentor: David Gordon, Politics 

 

Let Them Eat Big Macs, Crunchwraps, and Whoppers: The Local Impact of California’s $20 Fast Food Minimum Wage in Santa Cruz

Ella Ripley-Rodriguez, Economics

Molly Jenkins, Economics / Applied Mathematics 

Sophie Walsh, Environmental Studies / Economics / Film and Digital Media 

Faculty Mentor: Steve Owen, Economics 

 

Varieties of Federalism and the Erosion of Democracy in the Americas 

Vivian Zalunardo, Politics 

Marilu Jacinto Jimenez, Politics 

Faculty Mentor: Kent Eaton, Politics 

 

Urban Ethology Lab - Examining the Urban Wildlife Interface through the Lens of Wildlife Membership 

Juliet Ruiz, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Gizelle Hurtado, Environmental Studies

 

The Social Integration of Immigrant Female Chimpanzees 

Jenna DiNapoli, Anthropology

Faculty Mentor: Vicky Oelze, Anthropology

 

Into the Depths: Examining the Deep History of Fishing

Layla Saad, Anthropology

Sophia Lewis-Mussa, Anthropology / Environmental Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Eréndira Quintana Morales, Anthropology

 

Diverse Perceptions and Experiences of Guyana’s Oil Boom

Christopher Mathura, Latin American and Latino Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Flora Lu, Environmental Studies 

 

Banks and Their Climate Engagement 

Kerry Chen, Math / Economics

Shurod Tunamal, Business Management Economics 

Faculty Mentor: Grace Weishi Gu, Economics

 

Tracking Colonial Deportations in South America 

Jesus Vargas, Intensive Psychology / Latin American and Latino Studies

Alexandra Mendes, Politics

Faculty Mentor: Jeff Erbig, Latin American and Latino Studies 

 

Using Petrography to Characterize Ceramic Production in Yauyos (Peru) during the Inka and Spanish Periods 

Liliana Barajas, Anthropology / Literature 

Faculty Mentor: Carla Hernández Garavito, Anthropology 

 

The Professional Opportunities and Pathways Project (POPP)

Elsie Vizcarra, Latin American and Latino Studies 

Alia Espinoza, Latin American and Latino Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Carlos Martinez, Latin American and Latino Studies 
 

Farm Worker Community Education Pathways for Equity and Climate Resilience 

Xittlali Trejo, Psychology / Education

Stephanie Mendez Dominguez, Global Community Health

Faculty Mentor: Margarita Azmitia, Psychology 

 

Ant Community Ecology in Tropical Forest Restoration 

Zyre Tenhet, Environmental Studies 

Jasmine Moffet, Biology 

Faculty Mentor: Karen Holl, Environmental Studies 

 

Connectados: Social Networks and Health Among Indigenous Californians

Anahi Matias Santiago, Politics / Latin American and Latino Studies 

Alicia Riley, Sociology 

 

Mapping Habitat Connectivity for the World’s Forest Birds 

Julian Crown, Sociology / Legal Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, Environmental Studies

 

Young Worker Study

Zoë Koenigsaecker, Sociology / Psychology 

Anna Zigmond-Ramm, Psychology

Robert Esquivel, Psychology 

Faculty Mentor: Steve McKay, Sociology 

 

Food Culture and Sustainability in Okinawa 

Aivan Bach, Anthropology / Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor: Alan Christy, History and Global Community Health

 

Language Comprehension and Cognitive Control

Lea Toledo, Cognitive Science 

Faculty Mentor: Megan Boudewyn, Psychology 
 

Global Perspectives of Carbon Dioxide Removal

Valeria Cuevas, Environmental Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Sikina Jinnah, Environmental Studies 

 

Sociopolitical Involvement and Well-being in College Students 

Narissa Carthy-Dundas, Psychology / Legal Studies

Katelyn Ma, Cognitive Science 

Faculty Mentor: Danny Rahal, Psychology 

 

Labor of Decentralization: Promises and Extraction in the Web3 Field

Alyssa Merced Lugtu, Cognitive Science / Intensive Psychology 

Faculty Mentor: Zoe Zhao, Sociology 

 

Bilingual Language Processing 

Ginny Hsu, Psychology / Technology and Information Management

Karen Hinojosa, Psychology / Spanish Studies 

Anthony Espinoza, Politics 

Faculty Mentor: Liv Hoversten, Psychology

 

Understanding Advocacy Around the Root Causes of Migration - Transnational Solidarity in Central America and beyond 

Sam Jimenez, Sociology / Global Community Health

Faculty Mentor: Amy Argenal, Sociology 
 

“The mess just jumps out at me!”: Do people with Obsessive-Compulsive Contamination Fears Detect Messiness More Easily?

Amaya Aquino, Intensive Psychology / Cognitive Science 

Faculty Mentor: Hannah Raila, Psychology 

 

Farmworker Community Health Vulnerabilities and Responses Amid Climate Change 

Stephanie Mendez Dominguez, Global Community Health

Wendy Peres, Global Community Health

Svasti Kandpal, Global Community Health

Nashaly Pari-Candia, Global Community Health

Faculty Mentor: Matt Sparke, Politics and Global Community Health 

 

 

Sponsored by

The Institute for Social Transformation and the Division of Social Sciences