Adrian Setaghayan, political science senior, is the recipient of the Caesar D. Sereseres Outstanding Service Award. The honor was established in 2012 to commend graduating seniors who have demonstrated outstanding service within key educational, leadership, and outreach programs in the School of Social Sciences and campus community. The award honors the more than two decades of outstanding service given to the school and the campus by Caesar Sereseres, emeritus political science associate professor and associate dean.

“Setaghayan is a graduating honors political science major who embodies service and leadership in the School of Social Sciences,” notes the award committee. His journey of serving started his freshman year when he joined the UC Irvine Undergraduate Business Association.  A member and eventually vice president of Moot Court, he wrote Moot Court appellate briefs and competed in competitions. Setaghayan used his extracurricular and scholarly experience to give back and share his narrative through Celebrate UCI, SSARC panels, and UROP speaking engagements.

“He understands the power of sharing a story and empowering others,” the award committee writes.

He was also a mentor in the First-Generation First-Quarter Challenge mentoring program where he provided one-on-one help to other undergraduates, addressing academic needs and connecting students to resources. 

A student scholar, he completed his own thesis and served as research assistant guiding eight students in their research. His thesis project draws on multiple data sources to test the observable implications of those potential explanations, which brought him deep into the world of corporate accounting practices, different models of risk management, and bigger picture questions about whose responsibility it is to ensure that corporations are managing and disclosing their risks appropriately. 

“A student that exemplifies academic excellence, Adrian’s portfolio includes student organizations, mentoring, and research. His contributions to the School of Social Sciences are truly boundaryless,” says the award committee.