2026 Undergraduate & Graduate Sociology Award Recipients

 Graduate students and faculty judges at the Sociology Department's 2025 Graduate Student Qualitative Poster Contest held on December 2nd. Congratulations go out to all student participants, including the winners.

1st Place: Paloma Hernandez "Being Political: The Lived Experiences of Four Introverted Progressives"

 2nd Place tie: Jen Valens "Laughing Together, Caring Less: Collective Identity, Humor and Empowerment through the “We Do Not Care” movement"

 2nd Place tie: Michelle Montalban "Thriving Through Creative Resistance: Artists & Entrepreneurs"

 3rd Place: Sharon Sanchez "Digital Masculinity: The Influence of Manosphere and Manosphere-Adjacent Content on College Men’s Experiences" 

Graduate students and faculty judges at the Sociology Department's 2026 Graduate Student Quantitative Poster Contest held on April 28th. Congratulations goes out to all student participants, including the winners.

First Place: Sydney Sweeney for her project, "With the Master’s Tools?: Understanding American High School Seniors’ Engagement in Consumer Boycotts"

Second Place: Michelle Montalban for her project, "Artificial Intelligence, Labor Market Disruption, and Economic Inequality"

Third Place: Paloma Hernandez for her project, "Mobilizing Volunteers, Advocating for Change: Examining the Relationship between a Nonprofit’s Volunteer Engagement and its Level of Policy Advocacy"

The Veronica Elias Scholarship is given in honor of Dr. Veronica Elias, who served as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology for many years. The award is given to an undergraduate student who has a demonstrated record of academic achievement. This year’s award goes to is Naomi Moore. 

Naomi Moore

The Beverly Ann Hurd Scholarship was established by CSUN alumnae Beverly Hurd, who majored in sociology. The award is given to a student who is a parent, returned to school after a break in their education, and has succeeded academically. This year’s award goes to Janet Jimenez.

The Russell Miller Sociology Scholarship is given in honor of Dr. Russell Miller, who was a faculty member for many years in the Department of Sociology. His widow, Crista Miller has earmarked funds to go to students who have shown scholastic achievement and demonstrated exceptional leadership and community service. 

This year's recipients are Mahshid Hassani and Lexie Jaramillo. 

Lexie Jaramillo

The John J. Plasek Memorial Scholarship is given in honor of the father of Dr. John Wayne Plasek, who was a faculty member in the Department of Sociology for many years. The award goes to a student who has demonstrated academic excellence, particularly in the major, and has overcome difficulties pursuing higher education.

This year’s award goes to is Ruel Abalos.

Ruel Abalos

The Jerald Schutte Award for Excellence in Research Methods and Statistics is awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student who has excelled in coursework in statistics and research methods coursework. This year’s award goes to Sophia Lucas. 

Sophia Lucas

The Sara and Marshall Magnuson Award for Outstanding Student Accepted to Graduate School is for students with a record of academic excellence who have been accepted into graduate school (either a master’s degree program or Ph.D. program).

This year’s award goes to Nina DiSabato. 

The Sara & Marshall Magnuson Award for Outstanding Community Service goes to a student who has contributed significantly to the community through volunteer work and/or internships. This year’s award goes to Bailey McKee.

Bailey McKee

The Sara and Marshall awards, are funded by the Sara and Marshall Magnuson Endowment in Sociology. Sara and Marshall Magnuson both attended CSUN. In 1971 Sara graduated with a B.A. in Sociology-Anthropology and Marshall graduated with a B.A. in Art. Although they have both passed away, part of their legacy was to financially support scholarships and awards for sociology students. 

This year’s award goes to Dominic Navarro who is graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. 

Dominic Navarro

The Sara and Marshall awards, are funded by the Sara and Marshall Magnuson Endowment in Sociology. Sara and Marshall Magnuson both attended CSUN. In 1971 Sara graduated with a B.A. in Sociology-Anthropology and Marshall graduated with a B.A. in Art. Although they have both passed away, part of their legacy was to financially support scholarships and awards for sociology students. 

This year’s award goes to Maria Tinti who is graduating with distinction with a 4.0 GPA.

Maria Tinti