Sherelle Ferguson, sociology assistant professor, studies how race and class influence the way people experience educational institutions. Her methodologies include ethnographic and qualitative research, so she spends a lot of time observing, interacting and talking with people as they go about their daily lives. Her current project is looking at how progressive high schools serve low-income students of color. She’s also done a lot of research on campuses with undergraduates who are first-generation and continuing generation college students.

She’s coming to UCI from Philadelphia where she spent the past year as a postdoctoral researcher at Temple University. She earned her bachelor's in social studies and master's in education at Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s excited about her move to UCI’s top-ranked sociology department where she was drawn to the warm, welcoming, collaborative and constructive faculty – and the beautiful Southern California climate. She’s looking forward to teaching Introduction to Sociology this fall and opening a new generation’s eyes to the field of sociology.