Major: Sociology
Minor: Public Health and Ethnic and Race Studies
Why did you choose your major?
One of the primary reasons that I choose Sociology as my major is because I love how all the sociology courses I have taken so far have each cultivated a safe and supportive environment where I am able to continuously engage in meaningful conversations with my professors and peers to analyze important social justice issues and how it shapes the world we live in today. I also chose my major as Sociology because I am constantly learning and growing as a person on how I can take simple steps to create different programs and activities for the overall betterment of my community.
Why did you choose your minor?
I chose Ethnic and Race Studies as my minor because I am able to develop a close relationship with Dr. Munoz has become a mentor in assisting me to develop my future career and professional goals which have allowed me to focus on creating my first research proposal centered on the effects of a lack of culturally-competent preventive services in sexual health clinics with combatting STI infections in the Latino community.
By providing me the opportunity to perform a semester-long research project on public health and race studies, I feel empowered to head into graduate-level courses with a brand new set of skills that can aid me in being successful in not only grasping the material I acquire but contributing to the conversation with knowledge that I have gathered from Dr. Munoz’s courses in the intersectionality of race and ethnicity to health and social care.
Would you recommend your major to a future student? Why?
I would definitely recommend Sociology as a major/minor to future students because all of the faculty members in the Soc. Department provide such a meaningful and engaging experience in helping you not only critically learn about important social issues (Access to Healthcare, Immigration Policies, Race and Educational Opportunities, etc.) that are affecting the structure of society and social dynamics, but reflect upon how those issues are impacting the lives around us and what tools we can personally create to tackle them. In addition, all of the Sociology professors have been an amazing support system to me in helping to engage in opportunities and professional resources aimed at preparing me to pursue my goals of working in the field as a public health professional.
What are your future plans?
Once I graduate with my bachelor’s degree in Sociology, I plan to pursue a dual degree in a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) with a specialization in Health Policy & Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Policy with an emphasis in Health & Social Policy. Once I earn my master’s degrees, I then plan to pursue a P.h.D in Health Policy and work in the field as a health policy analyst.
Are there any particular experiences — in or out of the classroom — that have helped you identify that path?
One particular experience that I participated in outside of the classroom last summer was being a CDC undergraduate public health scholar at UCLA. As a scholar, I was given an extraordinary opportunity to apply all the knowledge and skills I learned in my medical sociology course with Dr. Nack in a real-world public health setting by interning at an HIV/AIDS social services organization in Los Angeles which allowed me to assist in program development to tackle a variety of socio-behavioral issues affecting newly diagnosed clients such as creating educational sessions that provide new HIV+ clients skills and resources to alleviate anxiety and fear in navigating their social networks with a positive status.
In addition, the Sociology major has provided me with the privilege to work alongside Dr. Nack in bringing prominent health education issues to light by running two events last school year, World Aids Day in November 2021 and Breast Cancer Awareness in October 2021, which helped bring students and faculty together to receive information and resources on how to protect one’s own health at an early stage.