Sasha Sabherwal counts completion of the School of Social Sciences’ Summer Academic Enrichment Program among her biggest accomplishments at UCI. Coming from a low-income immigrant family, the international and women’s studies double major found it difficult to navigate the university system.

“SAEP helped bridge the gaps in my understanding of a university education, showing me the importance of research, studying abroad, community service and leadership,” she says. It’s also where she got the opportunity to work with her mentor, political science associate professor Caesar Sereseres.

“Dr. Sereseres provided me with support, guidance and direction in helping me narrow and pursue all that I am interested in,” she says. “Without his encouragement, I would not have applied for the many programs that I have been fortunate to be a part of. He helped me to believe in myself and stressed the importance of leadership and academics.”

With her mentor’s guidance and the skills she acquired through SAEP, Sabherwal pursued the humanities honors program through which she completed a thesis on the intersections of gender and nationalism in India within the Hindutva movement. She's earned membership to Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha national honors societies and her work has been funded by the Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

Her research has taken her to India and England, and in the fall, she’ll be working as a policy intern in Washington, D.C. through the UCDC program.

“I’ve been interested in policy and the transnational sphere since high school where I was involved in policy debate, an activity that circles around foreign policy, critical theory, economics and history,” she says.

While at UCI, Sabherwal has been able to channel those interests through the Los Angeles Urban Debate League. She is also a member of the School of Social Sciences Dean’s Ambassadors Council and Humanities Out There, and she founded UCI’s International Studies Club and Mentorship Program which focuses on cultural perspectives, governmental structures and building a network of students to discuss global, contemporary issues.

For excellence in scholarship, service and leadership, Sabherwal gets to add two more accomplishments to her list. She is the 2013 recipient of both the Elena B. and William R. Schonfeld Scholarship and the David Rosten International Education and Service Scholarship. The awards will help fund her final year of study at UCI, after which she plans to attend graduate school.