Undergrads hope to gain valuable experience
Psychological science major Miriam Zendejas and 9 classmates are getting ready to spend a week in Mexico as part of their hybrid field study this summer.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to conduct my field study in Guanajuato, Mexico!” Zendejas says. “I am eager to contribute to the program by utilizing my voice, skills, and ideas, leveraging the knowledge gained from the course to support Fundación Vamos México’s community-based programming and their mission to promote sustainable community development. Ultimately, I am enthusiastic to participate in this transformative journey, making use of the knowledge and experiences gained to not only deepen my connection to my Mexican heritage but also to contribute meaningfully to the improvement of my communities, both locally and abroad.”
The students will spend July 21-27 working at Centro Fox, supporting Mexican community-based nonprofit organizations, including Fundacion Vamos Mexico.
Urban studies major Wendy Aguilera Cruz says she hopes to learn how organizations successfully run their programs while emphasizing community voices, specifically at Fundacion Vamos Mexico.
“In many of my classes at the School of Social Ecology, there is a repeated theme of the disconnect between large organizations and the community at need so, being able to acknowledge the voices of those is something important I hope to see and learn about during our visit,” Aguilera says.
Social ecology major Andrea Martinez says expects the experience will help her learn about “people’s experiences in their home country as I aspire to go to law school in hopes of practicing immigration law in the future, following my graduation from UCI in the spring of 2025.”
Azucena Abygahil Lopez Baltazar, criminology, law and society major, says she hopes to gain experience that she can put into practice in the future as she plans to work with Latino communities struggling in California.
“I'm very interested in social work and finding new ways to help youth, infants and families,” she says. “I think this field study can help me view different perspectives of the issues that families have to go through and inspire possible solutions that can be implemented in communities with similar struggles in California as well.”
Traveling with Baltazar, Martinez, Aguilera and Zendejas are: urban studies major Emily Ocegueda; environmental science and policy major Henry E. Lopez; criminology, law and society majors Sandra Muñoz and Heidi Guzman-Orozco; psychological science majors Anya Fernanda Araqur-Lugo and Jacqueline Gabriela Escobar Gatica.