Sociology Awards 2019
Witold Krassowski Sociology Award Winner: Erin Ronald
Paper Title: “Creating Low-carbon Communities: Evaluating the Role of Individual Agency and Systemic Inequality in San Jose, CA”
Description: This paper looks at factors that influence environmental behavior in San Jose. Using carbon emission data from 524 block groups, various sociodemographic variables were tested to determine the role of the individual versus structural forces on carbon footprints. The statistical analysis was supplemented with interviews with eight climate action-oriented community engagement professionals in the South Bay.
I am currently a senior graduating with degrees in environmental studies and sociology. Through the last four years, I have discerned my passion for helping communities reduce social inequalities through sustainable development. At Santa Clara, I have had the privilege to intern with the Center for Sustainability, be a Global Social Benefit Fellow, co-found Extra Eats -- an app to combat campus food waste -- and be a part of various environmental clubs. I have deeply valued the interdisciplinary perspective sociology has given me, especially the understanding of how institutions and society interact with nature and planetary limits. After college, I aim to continue my vocational discernment, pursuing opportunities focusing on urban climate change mitigation before applying to graduate school. I hope to continue working in the areas of human ecology, climate change management, and international development!
Krassowski Sociology Award Honorable Mention Winner: Elizabeth Kamya
Paper Title: “A Community to Call Mine: Supportive Community Environment and Citizen Actions?”
Description: This paper explores the extent to which supportive environments and citizen actions are needed to strengthen community attachment in three distinctive communities across America (thriving, struggling, and suffering). Using a mixed-methods design, analyses of secondary survey data from the 2010 Soul of The Community Survey are supplemented with qualitative insights from four community development professionals as well content analyses of select community development and affluent neighborhood initiatives.
I am half Ugandan and proud of my multicultural background. While I was growing up, I was fortunate enough to travel to Uganda every summer. Spending time with people who have different life experiences than my own instilled me with values of compassion, conscientiousness, and cultural competence that have guided my career choices and activities tremendously. While studying sociology, psychology, and ethnic studies at Santa Clara, my mentors and peers have challenged me to think creatively in response to problem-solving. Programs at my school that are passionate about social justice have helped me discover that I love learning about new cultures and being pushed to grow. Doing research on community attachment has inspired me to take what I have learned from my findings and apply it in order to create communal transformations.
Award Description: Each year, sociology seniors can ask to have research papers they wrote in a sociology course considered for the Krassowski Award. A clean non-returnable review copy must be submitted with a letter of self-nomination. Nominations must be submitted by students to the Sociology Chair. The exemplary senior paper in sociology is designated by the faculty, and a cash award is granted. Submissions may also be eligible for an honorable mention, at the discretion of the faculty.
Sociology Alumni Service Award Winner: Jocelyn Sanchez DeNardo
I graduated from SCU Winter 2019 as a double major in sociology and psychology and a minor in anthropology. While at Santa Clara, I was one of the founding members to recharter Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, on campus. I served on the executive committee for three years, helping to organize service opportunities at the campus, community, and national level. Junior and Senior year, I also served as the Education and Advocacy Chair of Habitat for Humanity SCU, working to bring awareness of local housing insecurity to our club and campus. What I value most about sociology is that it has given me tools and insights to deeply think about, and question, what goes on in our communities. I will continue to use what I’ve learned as I begin my post-grad career at Catholic Charities’ Focus for Work, a program that helps individuals with mental illness find employment. I am honored to be granted this award and am grateful to all of my professors for sharing their knowledge with me and encouraging me to be a voice for others.
Sociology Alumni Service Award Winner: Aryana Alvarez
I am from San Mateo, Ca, a first-generation college student, and the eldest of 5. During my time at Santa Clara, I was part of the LEAD Scholars program and worked as a student assistant for the Thriving Neighbors Initiative in the Ignatian Center. Sociology helped me conduct multiple surveys in the greater Washington community of San Jose related to male involvement in the programs offered by Thriving Neighbors. Most importantly, sociology has provided me the skills and tools necessary to immerse myself in community-based work and a better understanding of how to serve marginalized communities. After graduation, I hope to work in the non-profit sector, eventually becoming a juvenile probation officer, working with at-risk youth.
Award Description: In honor of our alumni, we award graduating seniors who have exemplary records of service or service-related research with the Sociology Alumni Service Award. The research must have taken place as part of a sociology course at Santa Clara University. To be considered for the award, students must submit a statement that describes the service provided or related research and its impact on the Sociology Chair by the first Friday of the spring quarter each year. The recipients are determined by the faculty of the Department of Sociology, and cash awards are granted.
Sociology Academic Excellence Award Winner: Joseph Ezaki Burwell
Hi everyone, I am a sociology major with minors in ethnic studies, international business, and music. On campus, I have been involved with Residence Life as a Community Facilitator and now an Assistant Resident Director, been an active member of the MCC, and a part of SCLOrk (Laptop Orchestra). What I have enjoyed most about my education in sociology is how it has given me the vocabulary to discuss complex social issues and power dynamics. Through a Sociological lens, I hope to transform knowledge into conversation, action, and power that uplifts communities, especially those around me. This summer I am interning at a non-profit in San Francisco called Tandem that works to raise the kindergarten readiness of children in the Bay Area with a focus on under-resourced neighborhoods. I will be conducting focus groups and quantitative analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. In addition, I will continue my work at Fastly, a tech company in SF, as a Revenue Operations Specialist.
Sociology Academic Excellence Award Winner: Perla Luna
Since the fall quarter of my first year, sociology has empowered me. As I sat in the intro class, I could name for the first time the experiences I thought were unique to my life. But those experiences weren't isolated incidents; they were expressions of the systemic ways society functions. I was able to bring the knowledge I gained from my sociology courses into my life and other activities at Santa Clara. While at Santa Clara, I was a peer mentor for the LEAD Scholars program and the Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper. As I start my Masters of Education program at Stanford University, I will continue applying everything I've learned in order to best empower my own future students.
Sociology Academic Excellence Award Winner: Maria Gregg
I am a double major in sociology and political science with a minor in history. Through sociology courses, I've deepened my understanding of how one's idea of self is dependent on others and our connection to society. This is something that I'm especially keeping in mind as I start my junior year by studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland. While there, I know I will be forced to reconceptualize my idea of self, and my status changes will have a lasting impact on my conceptualization of both myself and my own culture and community.
Sociology Academic Excellence Award Winner: Alexa Williams
I am a rising junior with senior standing double-majoring in sociology and communication with a minor in philosophy. I am on our university Ethics Bowl team, a member of a community service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega, the president of the Commuter Student Union, and a Hackworth Fellow through the Markkula Center. I decided to pursue a degree in sociology because I am very passionate about social justice and the betterment of everyday people's lives through hands-on pursuits of justice and equality.
Sociology Academic Excellence Award Winner: Erin Ronald
I am currently a senior graduating with degrees in environmental studies and sociology. Through the last four years, I have discerned my passion for helping communities reduce social inequalities through sustainable development. At Santa Clara, I have had the privilege to intern with the Center for Sustainability, be a Global Social Benefit Fellow, co-found Extra Eats -- an app to combat campus food waste -- and be a part of various environmental clubs. I have deeply valued the interdisciplinary perspective sociology has given me, especially the understanding of how institutions and society interact with nature and planetary limits. After college, I aim to continue my vocational discernment, pursuing opportunities focusing on urban climate change mitigation before applying to graduate school. I hope to continue working in the areas of human ecology, climate change management, and international development!
Award Description: This award recognizes academic excellence and is granted to the seniors with the highest sociology GPAs. The recipients are determined by the faculty of the Department of Sociology, and a cash award is granted.