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How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Sociology education and experience informed your work and life?

I write personal essays and cultural criticism pieces that put societal structures and individual narratives in conversation with one another. How are the roles in my family shifting as I step into adulthood? Does capitalism make our relationships more transactional? What do we teach young men and women about consent, both in the home and in classrooms? I use my sociological imagination to ask and (attempt to) answer these questions, but now with a more creative and accessible vocabulary and structure.

What are the one or two events, courses, or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

In my senior year, I was able to serve as a student interviewer for the sociology department’s new faculty hiring process. As someone who also wants to teach at the university level, it was very fruitful for me to hear candidates explain their teaching philosophies, and how they aim to create equitable classrooms where students of various intersectional identities can learn to the best of their abilities. This was the type of opportunity I could only have at a small school like ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, which encourages its students to actively take part in shaping not only our own education, but also the experiences of future students at the college.

What advice do you have for current and prospective ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Sociology students?

Take theory (SOC2030) early! And get excited about its applications to modern-day issues. It was one of my favorite classes in the major, because it gave me a rich toolkit of lenses and theories to use in every other class.

And ask for help! It’s really not embarrassing. Like at all. I promise.

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Sociology education and experience informed your work and life?

My sociology education at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ has been instrumental in both my professional work and personal life! Coming from inner-city Los Angeles, I remember feeling very confused and overwhelmed by the change in environment, and sociology helped put those feelings into words and academic research that empowered my sense of being and purpose in the realm of higher education.

For example, Sociology in Education with Ingrid Nelson [associate professor of sociology], was one of the first courses at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ that equipped me with the language, theory, and practice to synthesize my undergraduate journey as a first generation student from a low income background.

Sociology 1101 [Introduction to Sociology] with Theo Greene [associate professor of sociology] helped connect me to racial theories and historical texts that helped me articulate my personal experiences as a first-generation Asian-American at an elite institution, and “The Wire”: Race, Class, Gender, and the Urban Crisis with Brian Purnell [associate professor of Africana studies and history] helped me understand my home of Los Angeles with a broader, multi-dimensional perspective of the city. Altogether, this has made me a much more informed person with plenty to talk about at dinner parties or in conversations with friends (sometimes much to their chagrin).

What are the one or two events, courses, or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

I remember Professor Purnell's three-page essays for his Wire class. I was ecstatic! However, there was so much to talk about given the material, so it made me a better writer by forcing me to be more concise, decisive, and clear with my points and my writing. Conversely, I also remember my independent research project with Professor Nelson from my junior to senior year. I have never done a research project of this scale before, so it was intimidating. In the end, I was glad that by committing to the research process, I was able to gain more agency in my articulation of the living world and develop more consistent writing and research habits that carry to this day.

What advice do you have for current and prospective ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Sociology students?

My advice: give it a try! College is a time to explore and find out. It is much, much harder to get funding for your research after your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, so take advantage of all the funds, summer internships, and conferences that you can. Though at the time it might be hard to see its payoffs (or it may seem a lot), just simply trying provides so much more experience on which you can build a foundation for your future work or journey. You don't even have to end up doing exactly that—sometimes, what you learn along the way and the people you meet can contribute to your job or journey in other fields, as sociology is very, very multi-faceted and applicable.

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

The ability to think critically and write quickly is essential for good script coverage. I honed those skills at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, thanks to all of those essay assignments! The spirit of the Common Good will definitely guide my career in entertainment. I want to create series that are both entertaining and socially responsible.

Has studying Sociology impacted your perspective?

Sociology gave me permission to be both curious and critical about all aspects of life. I love how it encourages big picture thinking and analysis of everything we usually take for granted. Sociology is how I found my way back into creative writing and validated that even entertainment can deeply impact how society works. Sociology is a special lens that forces me to consider all sides of every issue and go beyond knee-jerk judgments. The sociological imagination is a great gateway to storytelling – it’s all about getting to the root of who we are and why.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Researching, writing, and producing a performance of my first full-length play with help from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ students and faculty. And sleeping in the President’s office as a first-year to protest for divestment!

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Don’t be afraid to try things and don’t be afraid to quit things. Say yes to as many opportunities as possible, but be patient with yourself. You might want to do something that the College does not offer, which can be frustrating. But there are always resources available for you to use to do that thing yourself, and plenty of people willing to support / guide you. Follow your passions fully while you are in a small, nurturing space. Go abroad! Join a new club! Perform! Protest! Whatever! Define your own comfort zone and constantly push the boundaries.

 

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

I am a PhD student in the Sociology program at Duke University. Prior to starting graduate school I was a paralegal for a law firm in Massachusetts that specialized in family- and business-based immigration law. My role was to assist the family-based side of the practice and work directly with foreign nationals tying to achieve lawful status and make a life for themselves in the United States. I hope to use this experience to inform my own research and future work.

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

At ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, I never felt like I was learning just for the sake of learning, and my classes and my work always felt purposeful and related to real-world issues. I feel that this really laid the groundwork for my path to graduate school, and I hope to take this same approach to the work that I am doing and hope to do in the future, especially around issues of race, identity, and belonging.

Has studying Sociology and Anthropology impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Studying Sociology has made me more aware of the things going on around me, and opened my eyes to a lot of issues that are sometimes taken for granted. My research has also taught me that there's always more than one way to look at a problem, and to keep an open mind when thinking about a particular issue or research question because sometimes what we think is going on or what we perceive from the outside doesn't reflect what is actually happening. Personally, what I like most about the field is that it gives me the tools to address questions that I had already been asking my whole life, but it allows me to do so while drawing from a variety of perspectives and approaches to get a fuller picture.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Two things that stand out to me from my time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ are my advisors, who went above and beyond for four years to work with me, challenge me, and push me to be a better student and sociologist, and my theory class with Dr. Theo Greene, which was the academic catalyst that pushed me toward doing independent research and considering graduate school more seriously.

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Make the most of your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ and don't be afraid to do things that challenge you!

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

Studying sociology at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ gave me a unique set of skills that has noticeably set me apart from most who work in finance and advertising. Most notably, majoring in sociology equipped me with the skills necessary to comfortably situate particular complex problems within a larger structural framework of understanding and feel comfortable handling large sets of data. Both frequently come in handy in marketing. It also goes without saying that learning how to effectively write about people's actions and behaviors with accuracy and nuance is a valuable asset in analyzing markets and purchasing behaviors.

Has studying Sociology and Anthropology impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Sociology has immeasurably impacted how I view and experience the world by elucidating overarching social structures that are active everywhere, constantly influencing the lives of myself and others. Moreover, sociology has also given me an especially valuable, macroscopic perspective that has proven useful in finding my place in the world post-ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

I have many fond memories of Professor Greene's course on the classics of social theory. What I appreciate the most about this class is that I was exposed to a wide breadth of influential social theory that has irreversibly changed my worldview and incessantly informs how I interpret current events. The course was also especially challenging at times, which made me a more skilled social thinker.

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

The most significant general advice that I can give to a student of sociology at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ is to embrace your sociological imagination and continue to cultivate it inside and outside of the classroom. Possessing an attuned sociological imagination will prove useful in many unexpected places and provide you with an incredibly valuable and rewarding way of seeing and experiencing the world. Also, start learning how to network successfully as early as possible.

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ helped me improve the way I write, analyze social issues and think critically about research and the way society works.

Has studying Sociology and Anthropology impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Yes! Studying sociology impacted my personal life because it helped me put into word the issues that I had seen and experienced in my life, but didn´t know how to explain. Professionally I feel I learned how to be much more critical about the way society is organized, which has been helpful in every project I have worked in and job I’ve had.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ has a huge amount of resources, use them to make change and take time to relax when you start feeling overwhelmed by life in the bubble.

Tell us about your trajectory since ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾

After graduating, I led ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s Community Service Resource Center (now the McKeen Center) for three years and had the privilege of kicking off ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s Common Good Grant program, leading the first alternative spring break trip, and creating the Community Immersion Pre-O program. I loved my job so much that I decided I needed a master’s degree in higher education, so I left to pursue that at the University of Arizona.

My first grad student research paper challenged us to learn more about a subpopulation of students on campus. I was interested in how the hypervisible football student-athletes at Arizona negotiated their demanding dual roles as students and athletes on campus. That research question carried me into a PhD program, a few years on the faculty, and in 2013, I joined the research staff at the The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where I am now the director of research and policy. In my current role, I develop and oversee research projects on the academic and social experiences of NCAA student-athletes and work directly with NCAA staff, our 1,100 member schools, and other relevant parties to apply research findings to inform policymaking.

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Sociology education and experience informed your work and life?

My sociology courses at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ were fascinating and rigorous. Given the volume of reading and papers assigned, I graduated as a much stronger writer and critical thinker—well prepared for graduate school. My senior thesis advised by Nancy Riley, A. Myrick Freeman Professor of Social Sciences, is still one of my proudest accomplishments, and that process was an exceptional entrée into independent research, which carried into my master’s and doctoral programs.

Here in the NCAA research department, we all come from a range of scholarly backgrounds: econometrics, epidemiology, higher education, quantitative psychology, sociology, and sport management. I think this range of epistemologies allows us to meld our unique perspectives when we’re designing a study, analyzing data, and presenting our findings. As someone grounded in the sociological imagination, I am always attempting to discern what social forces are impacting the experiences of student-athletes, shaping their educational pathway, and post-college aspirations, and that certainly shows up in the survey items I design or what variables I build into my analyses.

What are the one or two events, courses, or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

My Sociological Theories course with Visiting Assistant Professor Karen Halnon was one of the most rigorous courses I’ve ever taken (including graduate school). I still have all of my soc. theory books because my notes in the margins were meticulous and after putting in all that work, I can’t bear to let them go. While we wrote weekly papers and read eight or nine books that term, I loved that intellectual butt-kicking—trying to discern what the historical theorists were attempting to convey with their complex language and debating it with my classmates. My love for that course was probably a sign that I was cut out for a future in academia/research.

Outside of my sociology major, I was also a government and legal studies major, sang with Chamber Choir all four years, worked as an America Reads tutor and was on the Campus Activities Board, so many memories from those portions of my ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ experience remain meaningful as well.  

What advice do you have for current and prospective ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Sociology students?

I think my advice for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ sociology students and those who are considering the major would likely be the advice I’d give to any ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ student. Take courses that sounds interesting to you as you’re exploring a major—you don’t need to declare one right away! Take the time to meet with your professors during their office hours and get to know them and share with them what interests you. If you’re interested in gaining research experience or possibly designing an independent study, making the effort to get to know faculty outside of the classroom is where those connections can be made and doors can open.

Finally, if you’re contemplating grad school post-ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾—especially if you’re the first in your family to attend grad school, like I was—discuss this with trusted members of the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ faculty. The graduate admissions process is very different than the undergraduate admissions process and the considerations you should weigh upon selecting a graduate program are unlike the college choice factors that went into your decision to attend ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. Ask for help navigating this process—ideally gather perspectives from a handful of faculty mentors and request to be connected to recent grads from your major who are now attending grad school themselves. Enhancing your social capital in this space will help you make a decision that’s right for you!