Serra named 2026 Macy Award winner
Victoria Alejandra Serra, '26 Chicano/Latino studies and political science, is the recipient of the Alice B. Macy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research. The honor recognizes the graduating Anteater for her paper, “Care, Community, and Quiet Resistance: How Latino Students Navigate Fear, Family, and Belonging During the Trump Era.” Below, the Gardena native shares more about her work, her mentors, and her plans post-undergrad.
Q: What made you decide to pursue a major in political science, and specifically at UCI? How did your second major come to be? And what interests you most about your work?
A: I first became interested in political science while taking a community college course in high school. This class sparked my curiosity about how government and political institutions shape people’s lives and I wanted to better understand the systems and policies that affect communities like my own. Growing up in Los Angeles and being surrounded by a large Latino community, I often saw how politics and public policy had very real impacts on everyday life. I decided to add Chicano/Latino studies because I wanted to learn more about my own community and its history. I had taken a few Chicano/Latino studies classes and I loved the material and the passion each professor brought to their work. I think what interests me most about my work is the opportunity to connect academic work with real people’s experiences and to explore questions that matter to the communities I care about.
Q: When do you plan to finish your degree and what comes next?
A: I will be graduating in June. After graduation, I plan to enroll in a paralegal certification program and work in the legal field to gain some professional experience. During that time, I also plan to study for the LSAT while taking some time to recharge after graduation. I am excited to see what comes next.
Q: What would you consider your biggest accomplishment at UCI?
A: Receiving the Alice B. Macy Outstanding Undergrad Award is actually one of my proudest accomplishments at UCI. It was especially meaningful because this paper was my first major research project, and I never imagined that something I wrote would receive this kind of recognition. I think this experience gave me confidence in my abilities as a writer and showed me the value of pursuing questions that I genuinely care about. Throughout my time at UCI, I have also received the Chancellor’s Excellence Scholarship. More broadly, as a first-generation college student, simply earning my degree from UCI is an accomplishment that means a lot to both me and my family. Every achievement in my education carries their support, sacrifices, and hopes.
Q: What activities have you been involved with as an Anteater?
I have been involved with the Campuswide Honors Collegium, where I served as a peer mentor. Through this role, I helped new students navigate academic and campus resources while adjusting to college life.
Q: Tell us about your research experience as an undergrad at UCI. What topics have you explored?
A: I was involved in undergraduate research in the research seminar in the Chicano/Latino department during fall and winter quarter this year. My research explored Latino student activism and resistance during the Trump administration, focusing on how students organized, built community, and responded to anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies.
Q: Who has played an important mentorship role in your life thus far and why? Specifically at UCI?
A: My parents have been some of the most important mentors in my life. They made countless sacrifices to provide opportunities for our family, and their work ethic, resilience, and compassion continue to inspire me. My sister was and continues to be my biggest mentor. She played a big role in raising me when our parents were working and she is the reason I am who I am today. I am forever grateful to have her as my older sister.
At UCI, professors Glenda Flores and Louis DeSipio guided and supported me throughout my research process. I was very intimidated at the thought of writing my own research paper and I am grateful to have had both of them as my professors for the research seminar. I am particularly grateful to Dra. Flores for encouraging me to submit my paper for this award.
Q: Are there any unique circumstances that have played a major role in where and who you are today? What challenges or hurdles have you faced in getting to this spot?
A: Being a daughter of immigrant parents has shaped every part of who I am. Watching my parents work tirelessly for our family taught me the importance of perseverance, gratitude, and education from a young age. More importantly, they have shown me the importance of using my voice to advocate for, support, and uplift my community, especially in this climate. As a first-generation college student, navigating higher education often felt overwhelming because I did not always know where to find information or how to access different opportunities. Being naturally quiet made this even more challenging. Over time, I learned how to advocate for myself, seek out support when I needed it, and become more confident in my abilities. Those experiences have helped me grow both personally and academically.
Q: Where can you most often be found on campus?
A: You can find me sitting outside somewhere around the Social Sciences or Aldrich. I prefer to study outside because I can’t work in complete silence. I love having some background noise.
Q: What’s your best memory thus far from your undergraduate experience at UCI?
A: One of my favorite memories was the final day of my research seminar last quarter. Everyone presented the projects they had spent months working on and the environment was incredibly supportive and encouraging. Seeing everyone’s hard work come together and being able to share my own research was a very meaningful experience that I will always remember. I think moments like this are part of the reason I love the Chicano/Latino studies department.
Q: Any other interesting tidbits you would like to share?
A: I have loved writing for as long as I can remember, which is one of the reasons receiving a writing award feels even more special. Because I am a quiet person, writing has often been the place where I feel most confident expressing my thoughts and perspectives. It has always been one of my strengths and it is one of the reasons why my majors work so well for me. It is a lot of writing!