Yeryeng Choi
  • June 11, 2026

  • Sociology Ph.D. student Yeryeng Choi shares her award-winning contributions to the social sciences, campus community

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Yeryeng Choi, third-year sociology Ph.D. student, has been named a co-recipient of the UC Irvine School of Social Sciences Outstanding Service Award. The faculty-nominated honor recognizes Choi’s contributions to the social science community, including the intellectual growth of others. Below, the grad student from Seoul, South Korea who earned her undergrad and master’s at Seoul National University – along with a master’s in Demographic and Social Analysis from UC Irvine - shares the activities that have filled her time as an Anteater, her research, and her post-grad plans.

Q: What made you decide to pursue your current field of study? What interests you most about your work?

A: I am deeply interested in the agency of grassroots, the power that underprivileged ordinary people have in changing society. I also personally participated in both waves of the impeachment protests in Korea, which led me to study social movements and activism. After coming to the states, I expanded my research into environmental activism.

Q: Tell us about your research. What problem will your findings help solve?

A: My central focus on research is: How can indigenous communities redress the injustices they face in their communities? More specifically, how is racism intertwined with environmental injustices? I’ve been focusing on the Navajo uranium spill and their community efforts to redress this issue as well as the activism by Asian refugee groups against the oil refinery closure.

You can view the Navajo community activism archive at Disaster-STS Network, Navajo page.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the work that earned you this award.

A: I worked with the Navajo activists and indigenous youth at Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute and UCI to train them to interview their own community elders and leaders, set up the community-led archive for their activism work at Disaster STS Network, and mentored in 4-5 different positions across campus throughout the year.

Q: What organizations, foundations, or others have funded your research while you’ve been at UCI? 

A: I’ve received research grants from CGPACs, School of Social Sciences (Anti-Black Seed Grant) and CCKS on campus.

Q: What are some of your proudest accomplishments while at UCI?

A: Awardwise, the Justice and Equity Research Award from the School of Social Sciences, and the James Blackwell Student Paper Award at American Sociological Award are my proud accomplishments. And establishing the first valid archive under the Disaster-STS platform was also an exciting accomplishment.

Q: Who have been your faculty mentors while here, and what impact have they had on your graduate career?

A: I’ve been mentored by many, but particularly Francesca Polletta, my advisor, and Kim Fortun, who leads the EcoGovLab.

Q: When do you plan to complete your Ph.D.? What are your plans thereafter? How has UCI prepared you well for this role?

A: I still have 3 more years in the program, and I wish to pursue a tenure track faculty position at an R1 institute – and I’ve been trained in both quant and qual methods and journal publishing over the years by obtaining a Demographic and Social Analysis master’s degree, co-authoring a quantitative paper with my advisor, and working on solo projects.

Q: Any unique life experiences that have guided your educational journey? Give us some background.

A: I participated in both waves of the Korean impeachment protest, which led to republican presidents getting impeached both times – that really showed me the power of the lay people together, and led me into grad school.

Q: Any other tidbits you’d like to share?

A: I'm thankful for all the opportunities I had guest lecturing, mentoring, and engaging in community outreach and educational efforts in shaping who I am today and being able to win the Outstanding Service Award.

 

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