2017-2018 UROCH Cohort

Verenize Arceo is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in History and minoring in Political Science. She expects to graduate from the University of California, Merced in Spring 2018. Verenize is interested in asking questions concerning racial, social, and gendered divides in American cities. She intends to focus her research on the Merced area as well as the surrounding small towns. Verenize is currently a student intern for the Center of Engaged Teaching and Learning's SATAL Program at UC Merced. She goes into classrooms on campus and helps obtain the students' perspective on what is working and not working in the classroom in an effort to enhance the overall learning environment. In her free time, Verenize enjoys baking and spending time with her family.

 

Verenize Arceo and David Torres-Rouff, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

Stereotypes enforced by European Americans, with strong social and political capital, largely influenced the presence of Chinese residents in Merced County’s history in the late 1800s. European Americans often held beliefs that Chinese residents did not contribute to the formation of Merced County. By examining Merced County’s census records, county tax assessment rolls, and grantee records from 1866 to 1884, these archival documents reveal that Chinese residents were acquiring and expanding county spatial boundaries; ultimately, increasing their presence in the area. This growing visibility, as seen in the formation of Chinatowns in Snelling and Merced, has not been thoroughly recognized by scholars; thus, leaving a void in the history of Chinese residents in the Central Valley. Preliminary research seeks to fill these gaps and add to growing scholarship centered on Chinese residents in California. Continued research will seek to construct maps that tie Chinese residents to spatial boundaries in Merced County to adequately demonstrate the physical presence and power Chinese residents had in the area through financial and land capital. Furthermore, this project demonstrates Merced County’s role in a larger national narrative concerning the neglect of minority history, as part of a greater history of the United States.

TaNayiah is a third year English major at UC Merced. TaNayiah is active in the small but strong English major community, and in the amazing arts scene of Merced at large. When not pursuing her BA or her research, she enjoys performing in plays and musicals, working with children, and taking naps. She is still working on her life goals, but education and literature are her driving forces, as well as, music, critical race studies, french, and so much more. 

 

 

TaNayiah Bryels and Katherine S. Brokaw, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

This study looks into the effects of an early introduction to Shakespeare in various capacities on grade school children, and how it affects their development of empathy and interactions with fellow children. I argue that introducing students to diverse and modernized Shakespeare, in a hands-on and straightforward fashion (instead of traditional and more alienating way) increases understanding in children, helping marginalized children develop higher self-esteem, and helping non-marginalized students develop empathy and deeper understanding for their classmates. Research for this was largely hands-on; interviews were conducted with Shakespeare actors across California, and small workshops were conducted with groups of child actors in Merced. Some book research was also conducted, to analyze methods of modernizing Shakespeare, and place the argument in the larger context of the world of Shakespearean criticism. Preliminary findings support the argument, and prove that children not only favor more modernized Shakespeare performances that reflect their community, but enjoy the opportunity to dig into those performances, and benefit emotionally from both seeing and participating in local Shakespeare that favors diversity and creativity over traditionalism. Children are benefitted by seeing themselves and their diverse peers reflected in Shakespearean theatre, one of the most highly respected art forms of our day.

Sergio Cabrales is a second-year student at the University of California, Merced. His expected graduation date is Spring 2019 with a BA in Public Health. As a current student, Sergio works in the Fiat Lux Scholar Program where he assists first generation students to achieve academic success. His love for music and guitar allowed Sergio to create and become president of the first guitar club at UC Merced known as Jam Central. Sergio's biggest life accomplishment was being the first person in his family to graduate high school and attend a University. As a first-generation student, Sergio's short-term goal is to graduate from the University of California, Merced with experience to help guide in his future career as a Public Health nurse. As a strong advocate for higher education, his long-term goal is to join a position in LAUSD district board members and emphasize college centers in every high school. 

 

 

Sergio Cabrales and Jayson Beaster-Jones, PhD; Global Arts Studies Program, School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

Music Therapy is not just a resource that provides socializing and entertainment for elderly in nursing homes, it is a health intervention that uses music as an element to address, maintain, and promote emotional, social, and cognitive needs of individuals. Music therapy is one way to improve Alzheimer’s patient’s quality of life, including their physical, mental, and social health. The benefits music therapy with Alzheimer’s patients are well known to researchers, but many studies don’t emphasize the environmental issues affecting the quality of life of Alzheimer’s patients. These issues include nursing training, medical practice, lack of family involvement, and nursing home environment. In this presentation, I argue that quality of life among Alzheimer’s patients in nursing homes are negatively affected by the environment of long-term care. By using music therapy as an intervention in nursing homes, I suggest that overall quality of life will be improved. By closely conducting a literature review, this project will bring vital recognition on the importance of music therapy to help reduce environments negative effects on Alzheimer’s patient’s quality of life.

Jessica Calderon is a third-year undergraduate student from Bakersfield, CA. Expected to graduate in Spring 2018 with a BA in Anthropology. Jessica has already begun to make her mark at the University of California, Merced by previously assisting professors on their research and now conducting her own independent research. Jessica has also been an active member in her community as an officer of ACUCM and a member of the Anthropology Society. She thinks it is important to give back to her community by volunteering her time, knowledge, and influence in communities where she believes she can contribute and make a difference. To destress, Jessica finds herself stargazing alone and spending time with her mother and father and her twelve siblings. She aspires to achieve a PhD in Physical Anthropology, and her goal is to inspire First Generation Students from similar backgrounds to pursue higher education.

 

 

Jessica M. Calderon and Anneeth K. Hurdle, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

The topic of First- Generation in Higher Education has been a topic widely researched in several academic disciplines e.g. Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology etc. Research done varies in social, academic, and financial disadvantages to cognitive, psychological and educational preparedness. Although there has been research done in numerous topics of “First- Generation”, there is very little research done in what identifies a “First- Generation” college student and how it is defined as in a system of Higher Education. Preliminary research indicate that there is a vague set of identifications that are used to identify what a “First- Generation” college student is, however; the way the term is defined varies completely. This project will addresses the issue that in systems of Higher Education there is no clear understanding as to what defines and identifies a “First- Generation” college student and it will also address the issues that programs that were created to assist “First- Generation” college students have to face due to this unclear term. I argue that further research will indicate that programs that were created to assist First- Generation college student face difficulties when trying to properly assist and identify First-Generation college students and First- Generation students face difficulties in their academic and social complexity due to the lack of a solid sense of institutional identity within the community.

Leslie Gonzalez is a third year undergraduate student from Downey, CA. She is expected to graduate in December 2018 with a BA in Economics. Leslie plans to attain her Bachelor's Degree in three and a half years, then obtain a PhD in Economics. Since she believes it is important to help others be successful, she tutors student athletes in a variety of Math and Economics courses. As hobbies, Leslie likes swimming and cheerleading. She is currently on the UC Merced Cheer team. She finds that exercising helps her deal with the stress associated with school work. 

 

 

Leslie Gonzalez and David Torres-Rouff, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

Chinese Americans in the Central Valley during the second half of the 19th Century were misrepresented by European Americans who had higher social and class standing. Chinese immigrants were forced to live in unsuitable living conditions, and thus were seen in the same light as their surroundings. Remaining objects rather than subjects, Chinese immigrants during that time were forced to negotiate with the social identity given to them by the European Americans. Looking through Merced County Assessment Tax Records, Grantee Records, and Census Records from 1850-1900, I examine how Chinese immigrants created communities amongst themselves and the relationship between their social identity and their communities. I consider factors on the lives of Chinese immigrants such as their economic success, property accumulation, and the spatial organization of Chinese American communities overtime in Merced County. Analyzing the information gathered from official records will offer a solution to the lack of evidence about Chinese Americans in the history of the Central Valley.

Eva Hernandez is a third year undergraduate student from Modesto, California. She is expected to graduate fall of 2018 with a BA in Sociology. She is currently working under Dr. Tanya Golash-Boza on a research project and hopes to continue working on this project in the fall. Because of her rearing in an underprivileged neighborhood, she wishes to continue doing research in policies and crime in hopes of developing policies that are successful at comating the source of crime. Eva thinks it is important to always bear in mind where one came from and hopes to go back and help uplift her community. She aspires to achieve a JD and her ultimate goal is to change the way people view crime. 

 

 

Eva Hernandez and Tanya Golash-Boza, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

This research project explores at the factors that led to mass incarceration in Washington DC and the effects of incarceration on the city from 1985 to 2000. I am working on tracking several court cases and newspaper articles in that time period related to drug offenses and drug gangs in order to create a narrative, that provides an insight to laws and policies used that led to an increase of incarceration. A key area of focus will be Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) and similar laws due to their application on street crews and gangs starting in 1992. We expect to find that the introduction of RICO and similar laws increase sentencing time among those incarcerated ultimately affecting incarceration rates and the city. This preliminary research will be paired with interviews, content analysis of city budgets, and agreements with federal agencies in order to go more in depth into identifying factors leading to the increase of incarceration rates. Through the use of census data combined with visual representation of the city from three different time periods such as 1990, 2000, and 2010, we expect to see a change in the general layout of the city in correlation with arrest rates and arrest locations. In conclusion, the project seeks to identify factors that led to an increase of incarceration rates in Washington DC while looking at how the city changed in relation to the increase.

Yuliana Hernandez-Mora is a third-year undergraduate student from Merced, CA. Expected to graduate in Spring 2019 with a BA in Spanish, Yuliana already has two Associate degrees under her belt in International Studies and Sociology & Social Sciences from the local community college, Merced College, in honors standing. As a Merced native, Yuliana understands the importance of improving her own community which was ultimately the reason for her attending UC Merced as she feels being educated in the same small town she was born in allows her to bear witness to the areas where improvement is most needed and then, be the improvement she wishes to see. She became a volunteer interpreter for the KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) organization which represents unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in their deportation proceedings where volunteers like Yuliana interpret for the lawyers and allow the children's voices to be heard. She aspires to help lessen the various linguistic and cultural disparities for Hispanic individuals like her parents as they accumulate into American culture and be an example for generations to come. 

 

 

Yuliana Hernandez-Mora and Dalia Magana, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

About 49.6 percent of the current 80,608 population of Merced, California is of Hispanic or Latino race and ethnic origin (Brown University 2010). Naturally this leads to the Spanish language representing over 34 percent of the languages spoken in all households in the city of Merced over time (Statistical Atlas 2015). Despite the prevalence of the Spanish language in Merced County, there exists various linguistic barriers that are emphasized in medical settings where Hispanic individuals with limited English proficiency must depend on non-Spanish speaking physicians and professionals for medical treatment. Although language differences appear to be the greatest and most obvious of barriers present, there also exists broader disparities culturally as well as binationally as the current participant pool of eighteen individuals suggests a larger presence of those who are of Mexican origin. Considering the two countries share a boarder, it is no surprise many have immigrated and will continue to do so, bringing along the according set of cultural ideals and expectations of their native country with them and then expect to apply them here. By interviewing these Spanish speakers in a semi-structured form, I allow for a more natural conversation to take place which in turn, can greater reveal the severity and consequences of such barriers in medical settings. These interviews have allowed individuals with low English proficiency an alternative voice to share their struggles in these settings without fear of repercussion or other dire consequences such as fear of deportation. Within the participants’ answers, there are various contributing factors such as how long an individual has been in the country after immigrating, the presence and efficiency of medical staff, including interpreters, as well their expectations of medicinal practices that have illustrated a commonality with most, if not all, of these participants. Although these findings are preliminary, this study seeks to further uncover, within their health narratives, their true sentiments, ambiguities and even hostilities that can arise in these encounters, and, in return, offers the perspective of patients who are non-native English speakers, one we have not truly recognized in the past. By discovering when and why these instances of linguistic, cultural, and binational disparities most often occur, these implications can serve to offer possible suggestions on how to lessen these disparities so that future health care can be improved for this kind of prominent individual in American society.

Alison Luna is going into her second year as a political science major at the University of California, Merced. This is her first summer in the UROC-H program and she is excited to be working with Dr. Katie Brokaw on modern Shakespeare performance. In the future, Alison hopes to attend law school and hopefully pursue a joint JD-PhD program so that she can pursue her interest in both law and research. 

 

 

Alison Luna and Katherine Brokaw, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced

 

How can Shakespeare be made relevant to a modern audience? Shakespeare wrote during the era of English Renaissance Theatre, between 1562 and 1642. Since then, theatre has changed in many ways, from subject matter to language to overall purpose. The times have changed, the audience has changed, and William Shakespeare himself is long dead, so why do people still care about his work, and how do they try to preserve it? My study aims to answer these questions through pointed observation and analysis of several productions of various Shakespeare plays across California. Each production had a different take on Shakespeare, and a different way of attempting to bring the audience in. My research concludes that theatre adapts to changing times and new audiences not only with the proliferation of new plays, but also reformation of old ones.

Akhila Yechuri is a second year undergraduate at UC Merced from Pleasanton, CA. She is majoring in Public Health. Expected to graduate in Spring 2019, Akhila aspires to receive a Master's in Public Health or get a law degree. Her goals are to earn an increased amount of research experience and learn more about graduate school, and hopes that UROC can help her with these goals. Akhila is also a Strauss scholar, as well as an active member of the UC Merced community. She serves on student government, and is a mentor for high school girls. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fiction, singing, and spending time outdoors. 

 

 

Akhila Yechuri and Mariaelena Gonzalez, PhD; School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts; University of California, Merced 

 

Consistent oral hygiene habits are paramount for the efforts to preserve our overall health. This study analyzes marginalia in oral health surveys by examining survey responses to observe overall trends and barriers to dental care access. Items in surveys frequently receive elaboration and other complex answers from respondents; however, any nonadherence to survey format is nearly always excluded from the collected data. These additions and qualifications often convey responses outside the expectations of the survey (McClelland [American Psychological Association, 2, (2016)]). An insufficient amount of research regarding marginalia in conducting surveys has occurred; and the literature in this area is sparse. The overall purpose of this study is to examine oral health beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, practices and access to care through the analysis of marginalia in conducted surveys. I do so, through a codebook I developed, through which I analyze and expound upon significant trends and patterns in the 300 surveys that I examined. Preliminary data so far shows that English speakers and women are far more likely to display nonadherence to survey format. Overall, this analysis highlights lingual and social disparities in the way studies are conducted, specifically in the case of self-administered surveys. Examining these processes of marginalia is important to consider for future studies regarding survey administration. My analysis will contribute to the betterment of academia in public health and data collection.