When Hailey Phan was considering college as a high school student, she had several friends who were already upperclassmen at UCI. She toured the campus and decided to take a gamble. It paid off. Phan has thrived as an Anteater, not only completing a double major in the School of Social Sciences with an honors thesis but also advocating for other students' access to higher education along the way.

Coming into UCI, Phan already knew that she wanted to pursue something that would pave her path to law school. She wasn't keen on science, but she was eager to gain insight into "the political side" of things, she says. She wanted to learn to write well in different styles, too. In addition to poli sci, she realized that she was curious about sociology, which she thought would be very relevant to the legal field.

"People act the way they do for a reason. And the laws don't really address that," she said. "They don't address the circumstances behind why people act the way they do or why they break a specific law."

Phan took a sociology course with lecturer Christoffer Zoeller who made his class a space for frequent conversation among his students. "He was one of the professors who inspired me to really engage with the class materials a lot more," she said.

She also built a relationship with sociology assistant professor Julia Lerch, who taught Phan's first upper-division sociology course. "Her class was also really cool and inspiring," Phan said.

She became so passionate about the subject that she decided to do a sociology honors thesis. Phan, who is Vietnamese American, grew up in Stockton, California, which has many diverse households with different socioeconomic needs. She saw a contrast between her own  journey to UCI and that of her friends from other backgrounds, and it inspired her honors thesis. She's exploring the intersectionality between socioeconomic status and race, and how that affects people's likelihood of pursuing higher education.

Emily Carian, sociology assistant professor of teaching, taught Phan's first sociology honors class and helped her throughout the whole process. "She's really amazing," Phan said. "She was also someone who I went to a lot, especially with my thesis, but also as a person."

In the United States in particular, Phan saw how influential college and grad school is to someone's life path. "In a lot of places, you need an education higher than a high school diploma to get into those high paying jobs that will guarantee you a good life afterwards," she said. "I really think that higher education is one of the main factors in determining how successful you are in your adult life."

Phan doesn't just research this — she espouses this virtue as an advocate for making higher education attainable for more students. "Being able to use my voice to help others who either can't or don't feel comfortable doing so has always been something I pride myself on," she said.

Until recently, Phan held a leadership role in Associated Students, where she acted as the director of Higher Education Resources & Opportunities, or HERO. "My specific commission focused on higher education resources," she said. She worked to provide more resources for students who are considering further education but don't know what that might look like for them, or how to handle financial aid to make it a feasible goal in the first place.

"A lot of people's worry for higher education is the financial burden that it'll put on them and their family," Phan said. "That's something that we can always explore through scholarships, just making the system better and not so expensive."

It's on her mind as she approaches the end of her own undergrad career. Having just graduated from secondary school two years ago—a dual enrollment program for high school allowed her to enter university in 2022 with third-year standing—she's already about to walk across the stage again. "I don't know if I had enough time between," she said, tongue in her cheek.

During her gap year, Phan plans to continue working at the local law firm where she is currently a legal assistant. After that, she wants to stay in Southern California for law school, or else New York. The idea of family law has been on her mind. For now, though, she's focused on making the most of her remaining time in Irvine.

"I'm just gonna miss the community that I have here," she said. While she'll retain all the relationships she's built, they won't be as close physically. "It's definitely going to be different not having them 24/7."

Phan's coed pre-law fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta, was the keystone of her social life at UCI. After joining it at the recommendation of one of her older friends from Stockton, she ultimately served as Internal Vice President of the UCI chapter. "It's definitely one of — if not the main source of — community I've had at UCI," she said. "Everyone there's like-minded, kind, ambitious, just like I am. And so being surrounded by those kinds of people really motivated me to do better."

Phan will be the first in her family to graduate with a bachelor's degree. "It's a really big deal for my entire family," she said. "I know they're very excited for that. It definitely was a lot of pressure, but I'm excited."

-Alison Van Houten for UCI Social Sciences

-pictured top to bottom: Haley Phan. Phan presenting at UROP 2024. Phan and Nella Sihombing at the Anteater Involvement Fair. Phi Alpha Delta’s Executive Board Claire Lin, Phan, David Baek, Nella Sihombing and Nancy Reynoso at the Winter 2024 induction ceremony of new members. Brooke Berger, Chelsea Wang, Hailey Phan, Tanvi Chichili, and Siddharth Karthikeya ASUCI boothing for the Higher Education Resources & Opportunities Commission.