Humanities Dean's Excellence Award
Humanities Dean’s Excellence Awards are given at the dean’s discretion to support student success in and beyond the classroom. Awards are given to students with financial need who demonstrate exceptional scholarship and a strong passion for the study of the humanities.
Kelli K. Chinn
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
I am a first generation transfer student graduating in Spring 2023, who decided to return to college during the pandemic. I was born and raised in Oakland, CA where my family has remained rooted for several years. My ethnic makeup is of a multiracial background, I am proudly Black and Chinese. My major Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, encourages me to spread awareness; combating dehumanization, prejudice, and disenfranchisement. I enjoy researching developments and disparities surrounding diversity within cultural art and academia.
Ann C. Niland
Feminsit Studies and Literature in the Creative Writing Concentration
This year, Ann Niland has begun a research project that brings their previously acquired Literature major into conversation with their second major in Feminist Studies. Niland’s work seeks to analyze substantive character shifts that occur when a Science Fiction or Fantasy novel is adapted to the screen. The two research papers they have completed, that have been adapted to a video essay for accessibility purposes, work through the lens of Literature and Feminist studies to consider the intersections of politics, neuroscience, film and digital media, and the ever liminal space of what is considered mainstream.
Adria Vidales
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Enviromental Studies
Adria Vidales is a senior and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies & Environmental Studies double major with a minor in Education. At UCSC, Adria was an organizer with the Worker Student Solidarity Coalition on campus, where students fight for liberation and show solidarity with workers everywhere. After graduating, Adria plans on returning to their hometown of Stockton, CA and becoming an ethnic studies educator and community organizer. In their words, "I am extremely grateful for this scholarship and I hope that I can honor the supporters of this award with the work I do to create a more free future."
