UCI School of Social Sciences

Congrats to Hunter Hilinski, a sixth-year @ucirvine political science Ph.D. candidate who has been named a Berlin Program for Advanced German & European Studies Dissertation Fellow! The honor includes research support for completion of his dissertation and a one-year appointment at Freie University Berlin in Germany. Below, the political theorist from Steelton, Pennsylvania reflects on his underlying interest in politics, his research and his UCI experience. ⁠ ⁠ Link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Hunter Hilinski

Yamilett Farias Chaidez first encountered the exhibit in the pages of the @latimes . The article described how artists were using their work to generate support and funds for immigrants targeted by I.C.E. raids. In one image, visitors entered an installation through a doorway decorated with brightly colored piñatas. It was modeled after the mercaditos in Los Angeles, where the presence of federal agents had begun to thin the crowds. For Farias Chaidez, that image became a point of inquiry. It also became a way of understanding her own life.⁠ ⁠ "My research examines how Southern California Latino artists are creating spaces for immigrant communities to reclaim cultural identity, mourn shared losses, and find hope for the future,” she says. "I wanted to explore how we create visual sanctuaries for immigrants in a society that rarely makes space for them."⁠ ⁠ As a double major in political science and Chicano/Latino studies at @ucirvine , her research treats art as a corrective, a way of returning detail to lives often reduced to stereotype. ⁠ ⁠ “Southern California Latino artists are retelling immigrant stories in ways that reveal our full humanity," she says. "We are far more than what the media portrays. It's important that we show what immigration actually is, not the image others want to project."⁠ ⁠ Latino art, she argues, is restoration as much as expression. These artists are returning complexity and self-determination to communities whose stories are routinely told by others. ⁠ ⁠ Link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Yamilett Farias Chaidez with her family.⁠

Orange County United Way and @ucirvine are partnering to launch a new homelessness cost analysis that will provide evidence-based insight into the use of public resources to address the issue and which interventions have the greatest impact. The goal of the project is to advance governance, improve public accountability and expand civic understanding.⁠ ⁠ The project builds on the success of their collaborative 2017 study Homelessness in Orange County: The Costs to Our Community, which found that $299 million was spent annually providing critical services – including healthcare, housing, public safety and related assistance – for Orange County’s unhoused population. It also determined that permanent supportive housing could reduce those costs by nearly 50 percent. The decennial update, funded by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, will inform policy and funding decisions, according to Becks Heyhoe-Khalil, executive director of United to End Homelessness at @unitedwayoc .⁠ ⁠ Rachel Goldberg, UC Irvine associate professor of sociology, will lead the data-driven research and analysis efforts using surveys, interviews and comprehensive administrative datasets. Orange County United Way’s Heyhoe-Khalil, Jennie Cottle and Carol Kim will lead the community endeavor to engage policymakers, funders and system leaders through gatherings and one-on-one meetings. Goldberg and Heyhoe-Khalil, along with David Snow, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor emeritus of sociology, were co-leads on the inaugural 2017 study, which provides comparison points against which progress will be measured and new areas of potential focus identified. Graduate and undergraduate student researchers from UC Irvine will assist in the project, and the collaborative campus and community team will translate findings into actionable stakeholder guidance.⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: A mural adorns the exterior of a campus building at First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa, part of the United to End Homelessness initiative. In its latest collaboration, the Orange County United Way will partner with UC Irvine to analyze costs associated with homelessness.

Beach access was a non-negotiable for fourth-year business economics major Wynn Schoeman when selecting a college. An avid surfer from Huntington Beach, California, he practically grew up on the water. That made it easy to choose @ucirvine over UC Berkeley so that he could earn his degree in coastal Orange County.⁠ ⁠ But surfing isn’t just about the waves for Schoeman. It’s about the people. He joined UC Irvine’s Surf Club within his first few days on campus, connecting with fellow Anteaters for early morning outings to the Newport Beach jetties, Laguna Beach, and the Huntington Beach Pier – before heading to class.⁠ ⁠ He found community on dry land, as well. As a business economics major in the School of Social Sciences, he visited the Economics Learning Center for academic support with a probability and statistics course. In his fourth year, he transitioned from being a frequent visitor to one of its staff members. As a peer assistant, he received training from the @ucirvinessarc and @ucilarc to strengthen his skills as a tutor, including learning to lead collaborative discussions and redirect questions, and – importantly – to ensure students feel welcomed.⁠ ⁠ Before he accepts his UC Irvine diploma at the June commencement ceremony and heads @ucriversideofficial ’s A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management for his MBA, Schoeman will be part of another deeply meaningful graduation ceremony: one for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s graduates. As an enrolled citizen of the 38,000-member tribe based in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Schoeman works to sustain connections to his family’s Native American roots – despite growing up 2,000 miles away from the tribal land where his grandfather was born. That includes attending the annual Thunder & Lightning Powwow in Morongo, California, with his family.⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Wynn Schoeman surfing, courtesy of Ricardo Soria. Wynn Schoeman on campus, courtesy of Sebastian Shunda.

Bill Maurer, @ucirvine anthropology and law professor and social sciences dean, has been named to the Social Science Research Council Board of Directors. The distinguished role puts him in a position - alongside 20 renowned social scientists and leaders from academia, business and the philanthropic sector - to steer the council’s research agenda, focusing on meeting the most pressing challenges facing the social sciences and broader world.⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Bill Maurer outside Social Science Tower

When Rocio Celeste Rivera first imagined college, she saw it as a gateway. Not just to a degree, but to a wider world. That sense of possibility has guided her ever since.⁠ ⁠ Now a political science and international studies double major at @ucirvine , Rivera has turned that vision into reality. She has studied abroad five times, interned with the Irish Parliament, worked at the United Nations in Geneva, and served in a U.S. Senate office. As one of this year’s @ucisocsci commencement speakers, she is thinking carefully about what message she wants to leave behind.⁠ ⁠ “I wanted to represent the experiences of my fellow students,” Rivera says, “and also give them a message that I would want to receive.”⁠ ⁠ For Rivera, that message balances honesty with optimism.⁠ ⁠ “I wanted to acknowledge the reality of what we’ve experienced, while also offering hope that we can still make an impact,” she says. “It’s important to recognize the struggles we’ve overcome and the resilience we’ve built. Those are the things that will allow us to become change makers.”⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Rocio Rivera in the Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway atrium.

Congrats to Erin Lockwood, @ucirvine political science assistant professor, who has been named one of six inaugural Roosevelt Institute Good Life Residents! The six-month program, which includes $3,000 in funding, will support her research on the powers and independence of the Federal Reserve. Specifically, she’s exploring the Fed's expansion into the provision of financial stability, its forays into financial inclusion, and its role in managing Treasury market liquidity. ⁠ ⁠ "In each of these areas, the Fed has taken on responsibilities that, according to some, far exceed their conventional dual mandate as narrowly understood, but which also implicitly acknowledge the active role that central banking has always played in allocating credit and the costs of monetary stability," Lockwood says. “As a Good Life Resident, my work will help shape the kinds of questions and topics that characterize political and media debate of the Fed chair confirmation process, Fed independence, and the role of the Federal Reserve more broadly to rebalance power between private actors and the public and to reimagine the role of government in promoting a more equitable, resilient, and green future.” ⁠ ⁠ The Roosevelt Institute is an economic policy think tank comprised of researchers, organizers, policymakers, and practitioners focused on corporate and public power, labor and wages, and the economics of race and gender inequality. Good Life Residents is a new initiative designed to develop emerging leaders and generate people-centered ideas across economic policy priorities. Lockwood is one of three residents focusing on the Federal Reserve; the other half of the 2026 cohort are pursuing research on Social Security financing. Future groups will take on topics in AI and housing.⁠ ⁠ Lockwood’s virtual residency runs March-August of this year and will conclude with an in-person research showcase.⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Erin Lockwood in front of Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway at UC Irvine.

UC Irvine social sciences dean Bill Maurer helped Anaheim community members celebrate @unitedwayoc 's new SparkPoint site opening at Danbrook Elementary earlier this morning. The opening is a meaningful milestone as SparkPoint participants will have access to free, one-on-one financial coaching for up to 12 months, providing personalized support as they work toward reducing debt, improving or establishing credit, increasing savings, and strengthening household income. The opening of this new site will help bring financial stability resources directly to Danbrook families.⁠ ⁠ Maurer is a member of the Orange County United Way Board and chairs its United for Financial Security initiative, which delivers programs to ensure struggling Orange County families find financial security. ⁠ ⁠ “The opening of this 9th SparkPoint location in Orange County is a testament to the success of this remarkable one-on-one financial coaching program,” says Maurer. “I’ve had the honor of partnering with the team implementing this program both as a board member of United Way and as a researcher studying its remarkable impact on family financial stability. This morning was a real celebration of the power of partnerships and the strength of our community.”⁠ ⁠ Location: Danbrook Elementary School in Anaheim⁠ ⁠ People, L-R: Norma Martinez, Superintendent of the Centralia Elementary School District; OCUW board members Kimberly Chips, Hugh Conners, Bill Maurer; Sue Parks, President and CEO, OC United Way

Zayaan Khan did not expect to become a commencement speaker. When he arrived at @ucirvine as a social policy and public service major, he was still figuring out where he fit. Four years later, he stands as a leader in @ucisocsci , preparing to address his graduating class in June with a message shaped by research, community and personal growth. ⁠ ⁠ “I came in like any other freshman, not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. “Over time, I built that confidence through the community at UC Irvine and by developing my professional identity.”⁠ ⁠ Along the way, he added a second major in quantitative economics which allowed him to build skills in statistics, econometrics and data analysis. ⁠ ⁠ His evolution, from uncertainty to clarity, from hesitation to leadership, now shapes the message he hopes to share with his fellow graduates.⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Zayaan Khan standing next to Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway.

Carolina Silva was just nine years old when she decided what she wanted to do with her life. While delivering hygiene products and homemade tortas to unhoused individuals in San Jose, California, she had a pivotal conversation with a young woman who needed medical attention for a potentially dangerous hernia. But without health insurance or a home, the woman was so afraid of being judged or mistreated by staff, that she refused to go to the hospital. Silva set her sights on becoming a different kind of doctor.⁠ ⁠ “One day, I hope to have my own pro bono clinic for unhoused individuals and those without a means of affording healthcare,” Silva says. “I want to be able to provide a bridge to health equity for those who experience health disparities."⁠ ⁠ That dream brought Silva to @ucirvine , where she is now a pre-med student pursuing what may, at first glance, seem a surprising double major: @ucichclatino studies in @ucisocsci , and public health in @wenpublichealth ⁠ ⁠ “UC Irvine creates space for students to integrate cultural understanding, community engagement, and academic preparation in a way that is not always possible elsewhere,” says Lena M. Njoku, director of the UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways program that Silva participates in. “Carolina has fully leaned into that, pairing Chicano/Latino studies with public health and pre-med to ground her future practice in both knowledge and lived context.”⁠ ⁠ More on her story in our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: Carolina Silva; Silva with UC3P cohort members.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of prisons and jails to outside visitors, researchers, and journalists in March 2020, a team of @ucirvine researchers responded quickly to capture the stories of those most heavily impacted. PrisonPandemic was launched as a living digital archive of firsthand accounts from people incarcerated in California prisons and jails, their family members, and the staff who worked in these facilities. Now, six years later, that effort has grown into a newly expanded website, featuring approximately 4,700 stories gathered through phone calls and hand-written letters, new thematic collections, contributed artwork, teaching materials, project publications and other resources.⁠ ⁠ More at our link in bio.⁠ ⁠ pictured: The COVID-19 pandemic decimated California prisons and jails. Hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people lived and died through it. The PrisonPandemic site shares their stories.

Thank you for being part of @ucirvine Giving Day!⁠ ⁠ Because of this community's generosity, the School of Social Sciences raised $214,775 from 64 gifts, unlocking all three Giving Day challenges, made possible by the leadership of our donor community, including a $20,000 leadership gift from Carolyn Scheer in support of graduate research. ⁠ ⁠ In addition, inspired by the momentum of the day, an anonymous donor made a meaningful gift of $156,000 in support of the school.⁠ ⁠ Together, this is a powerful investment in our doctoral students - ensuring they can complete the research they have worked years to advance.⁠ ⁠ We are deeply grateful for the strength of the social sciences community and for the many individuals who came together to support our students and faculty in such a meaningful way.⁠ ⁠ Thank you for your generosity and for all that you make possible!⁠ ⁠ ⁠