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margarita featured


Simply unstoppable

When times get tough, graduating senior Margarita Rodriguez, psychology, isn't one to back down


Most college students have a tough time adjusting during their first year. The stress of learning to take care of oneself, making new friends, juggling a heavy class schedule, and being away from family support can take a toll. At the end of the day, though, most persevere and join their peers in tossing their caps at the Bren several years later.

Margarita Rodriguez is no exception. A 2017 grad and psychology and education double major, she’s looking forward to her very own commencement, a sweet victory after some tumultuous years. But her success is even more incredible given the other unexpected and gut-wrenching challenges she’s faced since starting her UCI journey. As a freshman, instead of going to parties or school-sponsored activities on the weekends, Rodriguez was spending the night in hospitals with her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer early on in her freshman year. And instead of spending her first college summer at the beach with friends, the first-gen student was preparing for a life-saving double mastectomy that would cause her to put her education on hold for a quarter. Not exactly the typical college experience. But where others may have – understandably – chosen to give up on school, Rodriguez forged onward, balancing her health and family life while she completed her bachelor’s degree with a double major to boot. Now things are in a more stable place for her and her family, she is set to graduate, and she was just accepted in UCI’s masters program in teaching. If anything, her crazy whirlwind of a college experience has proven that she is pretty much capable of anything.

Read on...





news

Lending a hand

Social policy and public service soon-to-be alumna Shirley Loi plans to make a career out of her passion for helping others

Bringing it all together

2017 soc sci commencement speaker Andrew Hallak has spent his UCI career bridging divides and finding interconnectedness in unexpected places

A life transformed

Daniela Estrada reflects UCI's commitment to the success of first-generation Latino students

A driving factor

2017 Alice B. Macy award winner studies the factors literally driving undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

An Anteater abroad

Political science major Ku awarded Rosten and Schonfeld Scholarships to help her follow decades-long dream of being diplomat across the pond

Social sciences 2017 Order of Merit recipients and school scholarship winners

Honor recognizes top 2% of socsci undergrads for academics, leadership and service; scholarships highlight recipients for dedication to campus, community

7 social sciences undergrads named Chancellor's Award of Distinction recipients for 2017

Honor recognizes UCI's most outstanding graduating seniors

'Doing the most for the American dream'

UCI again tops New York Times' College Access index for its commitment to upward mobility

Outstanding Teaching Awards

2017 honors go to Campos and Carvalho

Money talks

New book co-edited by UCI sociologist Nina Bandelj explores how money really works

Tokens of power

UCI sociologist Ann Hironaka examines costs of war in new book

Breaking down the Bell Curve

Book by UCI sociologist Charles Ragin shines new light on causes and consequences of social inequality

UCI study links cellphone proliferation, more frequent calls to mom by adult children

Countries with higher rates of mobile phone subscriptions show increased contact

Two UCI cognitive scientists awarded early career development awards from National Science Foundation

Grants support efforts to bring neural-level computing to small, low energy devices and research on complex human decision-making models

Finding mentors who help students soar

For minority students, finding mentors can be a challenge. Here's how they can overcome barriers.

Scientists just debunked one of the biggest arguments against fuel economy standards for cars

Kevin Roth, economics, via The Washington Post

Monroe named Berlin Fellow

Competitive honor includes semester-long stay next spring in Berlin to focus on research

IMTFI takes second place honors at Blum Center competition

Converting savings game into app earns the team $5000 in seed money





up-coming events

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony 1

featuring undergrad speaker Yareli Castro Sevilla

June 16

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony 2

featuring undergrad speaker Andrew Hallak

June 16

Graduate Hooding Ceremony

June 17

Organ Transplant Cinema from Hong Kong to the World
June 1

C-ALPHA Workshop on Logic and Its Applications
June 1

The Role of Geometrical Definitions in Newton's Metaphysics of Space
June 2

The Role of Geometrical Definitions in Newton's Metaphysics of Space
June 2

Autocratic Rule and Social Capital: Evidence from Imperial China
June 5

Switching Costs and Network Compatibility
June 7

Staff Service Awards Ceremony
June 14

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony 1
featuring undergrad speaker Yareli Castro Sevilla
June 16

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony 2
featuring undergrad speaker Andrew Hallak
June 16

Graduate Hooding Ceremony
June 17





in the media

Republicans like Pence better than Trump. That’s unprecedented.

Wattenberg, Washington Post


Essay: Kids thrive when they swim among peers and mentors with common interests

Ito, Newsworks


The digital human

Hoffman, BBC Radio


Neuromorphic chips are destined for deep learning—or obscurity
Neftci, IEEE Spectrum

Does India now have the largest population in the world? Academic claims China overestimates how many people live in the country and has slipped to second place
Wang Feng, Daily Mail

Drawing boundaries around who counts as Asian American
Lee, The Society Pages

Make earned income tax credit a more effective anti-poverty tool: Guest commentary
Neumark, Los Angeles Daily News

Expert doubts China's population number, saying India may be no. 1
Wang Feng, The New York Times, Business Standard

Does India have more people than China? A U.S. researcher claims Beijing's population statistics are wrong.
Wang Feng, The Washington Post

India is world's most populous nation with 1.32bn people, academic claims
Wang Feng, The Guardian, MSN

The Fed's actions speak louder than its words, which is why bond buying is here to stay
Swanson, Business Insider

Big disparities found in interracial marriage -- and opinions on it
Lee, SF Gate

Opinion: In the outrage over discrimination, how do we define 'Asian American'?
Lee, NBC News

Journalist to join UCI faculty
Tobar, Orange County Business Journal

UCI smartphone research (video)
Treas, ABC 7

Essay: Kids thrive when they swim among peers and mentors with common interests (Commentary)
Ito, Newsworks

Calling mom on Mother's Day not so special in smartphone age
Treas, Times of San Diego, City News Service, My News LA

From 'unassimilable' to 'exceptional': An evolution of Asian American stereotypes
Lee, Asia Society

Survey: the poor white working class was, if anything, more likely than the rich to vote for Clinton
Tesler, Vox

The digital human
Hoffman, Alternate (Audio) BBC Radio 4

Cognitive scientist explains why perceiving a false reality is beneficial
Hoffman, Boing Boing

2 nonprofits and a game won UCI grants to try to help people in poverty
IMTFI, Daily Pilot

Study: Tougher fuel standards can save lives
Kevin Roth, The Columbian

Scientists just debunked one of the biggest arguments against fuel economy standards for cars
Roth, The Washington Post

Ask a Leader: Matt Beckmann
Beckmann, KUCI 88.9

Meet the immigrant legislators putting their stamp on the capitol
Nguyen, KQED

Page Fed's cut in bond holdings may be messier than Yellen hopes
Swanson, Bloomberg, MSN Money

Finding mentors who help students soar
White, Castellanos, American Psychological Association

Getting credit
Varzi, American Anthropological Association

No instagram, no concealer, no uncomfortable clothes: A mission to silence my inner critic
Penner and Wong, Elle

Republicans like Pence better than Trump. That’s unprecedented.
Wattenberg, The Washington Post


See past issues of the social sciences monthly enews.

School of Social Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-5100