The Order of Merit is awarded annually to approximately 2% of the Social Sciences graduating class. Students are recognized for their academic excellence, original research, leadership activities, and service contributions to the School of Social Sciences, UCI campus, or community. We are especially pleased that this marks our 42nd year in which we can honor our very best and most accomplished students. Also receiving special recognition are 25 undergraduate and graduate students honored with individual scholarships and awards.

Babak Azadgilani, Sociology
Rebeca Cardenas Gallaga, Business Economics
Michelle Chao, Language Science and Cognitive Sciences
Veronica Dahlkamp, Sociology
Liam Dowling, Economics
Jacob Endelman, Political Science
Hanna Franchi, International Studies
Kiana Gee, Cognitive Sciences
Jordan Jin, Language Science
Christina Kollias, Political Science and Social Policy & Public Service
Chih-Chi Liao, Business Economics
Brandi Madison, Political Science
Gabriela Martinez, Social Policy & Public Service and Political Science
Juan Medel, Anthropology and Psychology
Johanna Mejia Avila, Psychology and Language Science
Lisette Moran, Chicano/Latino Studies and Education Sciences
Karthika Nambiar, Anthropology
Ethan Nguyen, Cognitive Sciences
Carlos Olivares, Chicano/Latino Studies
Yamileth Partida Reyes, Sociology and Criminology, Law and Society
Harshal Patel, Cognitive Sciences
Elizabeth Rzepczynski, Psychology
Mohammad Samhouri, International Studies and Political Science
Andrea Serrano, Chicano/Latino Studies and Psychological Science
Mai Tran, Business Economics
Kyrie Varieur, Cognitive Sciences
Gerry Villegas, Psychology
John Winkelman, Sociology
Albert Ybarra, Sociology
Madeline Yi, Social Policy & Public Service

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

Brandi Sue Madison, Political Science
School of Social Sciences Outstanding Honors Thesis Award for “Examining Funding, Accessibility, and Awareness for Students with Disabilities at the University of California, Irvine”
Outstanding Community College Transfer Student Scholarship

Adrian Setaghayan, Political Science
Caesar D. Sereseres Award

Matt Garcia-Ramirez, Social Policy & Public Service
Elena B. and William R. Schonfeld Scholarship

Zayaan Khan, Quantitative Economics & Social Policy & Public Service
School of Social Sciences Alumni Academic Excellence Scholarship

Amy Olide, Chicano/Latino Studies, Political Science & Sociology 
Alice B. Macy Outstanding Undergraduate Paper Award for “Exploring the Third-Parent Role Eldest Latino Siblings' Experience” 

Babak Azadgilani, Sociology  
Justice and Equity Research Paper Award for “Effective Sentence: How the Indeterminate Sentence Incentivizes Rehabilitation”

Gabriela Martinez, Chicano/Latino Studies & Biological Sciences
Justice and Equity Research Paper Award (honorable mention) for “Analyzing Health Seeking Behaviors in First-Generation Latinos” 

Preston Wong, Social Policy & Public Service
Educational Enhancement Scholarship 

Gurlin Babrah, Political Science & Philosophy
Educational Enhancement Scholarship 

Valentina Toledano, Language Science & Political Science
Educational Enhancement Scholarship 

Claire Yoo, International Studies
Moore Scholarship for Community and Social Change 

Ally Avidan, International Studies
Moore Scholarship for Community and Social Change 

Alexis Young, Political Science
Moore Scholarship for Community and Social Change

Cathy Nguyen, Psychology
Moore Scholarship for Community and Social Change 

Christina Kollias, Political Science & Social Policy & Public Service
Moore Scholarship for Community and Social Change

GRADUATE AWARDS 

MacKenzie Christensen, Sociology 
Charles A. Lave Paper Prize Award for “Tracing the Gender Confidence Gap in Computing: A Cross-National Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in Self-Assessed Technological Ability”
A. Kimball Romney Award for Outstanding Graduate Paper for “The Digital Dating Divide: How Gendered Technology Use Shapes Sex and Singlehood in the Transition to Adulthood”

Yeryeng Choi, Sociology 
Justice and Equity Research Paper Award for “Leveraging and Defying Racial/Ethnic Expectations to Move People: Critical Race Theory Approach to Climate Activist Speeches”

Mary Isaac, Political Science
Outstanding Service

Clara Bradley, Logic & Philosophy of Science
Outstanding Scholarship
Justine Lambert Prize for “Do First-Class Constraints Generate Gauge Transformations? A Geometric Resolution”

Parush Arora, Economics
Justine Lambert Prize for “Combining Density Forecasts using Bayesian Opinion Pools”

Josiah Lopez-Wild, Logic & Philosophy of Science
Justine Lambert Prize for “A Computable von Neumann-Morgenstern Representation Theorem”

Maricela Banuelos, Sociology
Kathy Alberti Prize

Samantha Canty, Political Science
Kathy Alberti Prize

Lucy Pei, Informatics
Etel Solingen Award for Outstanding Paper in International Cooperation for “Globalistic Advocacy: Making a Gig Workers’ Movement on a Global Scale”

Zaoying (Cherry) Ji, Sociology (honorable mention)

Etel Solingen Award for Outstanding Paper in International Cooperation for “The Global Rise of Women: A Cross-National Analysis of Growing Female Participation in Higher Education, 1970-2019”