Category: Uncategorized

And just like that, my first year at UC Irvine is about to end. The quarter system here is no joke–ridiculously fast-paced that gets the year moving past you in a blur. That is what I feel like as I write my last Zot blog for you here.

Rewinding to what goals I had set for myself at the beginning of the year, I had the goal of making sure I got some form of exercise at least 6 times a week, joining a club, making new friends, and developing better/productive habits to help balance out my day. I am glad to say that I was able to achieve each of these goals as I have had a significant difference in my physique (I look a bit buff now lol). I was also able to join and enjoy the Hiking Club, where I met a lot of new people while also enjoying the hikes we’ve taken around Orange County. I have also developed better study habits for myself, making sure that I dedicate a certain amount of time to studying/homework every day. I would consider this goal the hardest for me to achieve since it does get pretty unmotivating to sit down and stare at a screen while typing for hours. But I made sure to spread out dedicated work time throughout the day, so I don’t get burnt out from one sitting.

I enjoyed being able to Zot Blog this year, and some of my favorite moments were being able to share/reflect on my journey, as an undeclared/undergraduate student, navigating through my first year at UC Irvine! I loved talking about all the fun, stressful, and unpredictable moments that made my first year unforgettable. Sharing details of my first year has been an incredible reflecting experience for me, and I hope that my posts have also helped others feel less alone in their adventures. If you haven’t read mine or other Zot bloggers’ blogs, I encourage you to do so as they all talk about how they navigated through their first year as well. You might learn a thing or two, and it will probably help you navigate some of the ins and outs of college!

Thinking about a particular class that has significantly changed the way I view the world, it would probably be Sociology 1. I mean, it is obvious since the topic of sociology pretty much discusses how society works–but I wasn’t expecting how deeply the topics in the class would make me reflect on my own life. My class explored topics such as social norms, inequality, institutions, and race, pretty much the main negative aspects of society. It made me realize that what most people see as “normal” is managed by hidden systems and powers. For example, structural inequality in the United States, where some marginalized groups are affected and have no choice in choosing the education, healthcare, and housing they get. These groups are held back in society so they never reach a level of success or power that threatens those in control. Anyway, trying not to go too deep into the topic, I gained a deep understanding that there is an unfair advantage in society that targets almost everybody, and it made me more compassionate about the world around me. I really loved the topics in this class because it made me more aware of problems in society. For the new incoming class, especially undeclared students, I encourage you to keep an open mind to interesting GE classes like these–especially if you are unsure of what you want to major in!

My greatest accomplishment this school year? Honestly, just surviving my first year at UCI. It was definitely hard thinking about living far from home and living like a grown-up by myself. I literally didn’t know what to do the first couple of weeks because I’ve never had so much time on my hands before (since there are only a few classes daily). I obviously had homework and studying to get done, but what do I do after that? Do I go take a long walk in an unfamiliar city? Try something new? It was all too overwhelming for my head to comprehend. Thankfully, I was able to start building a productive routine throughout the year, from having set meal times, time to go to the gym, times when I dedicate study/work time, etc. On top of that, it was hard to build discipline. It was hard to navigate how to avoid procrastination until I started using a timer to time how long I was working. Overall, my suggestion for you incoming students is to start on a routine off the bat so you are not all over the place. Set time to study, do something active (gym, basketball, etc.), set breaks, and set some time throughout the day to enjoy yourself for at least an hour.

Last but not least, I would like to thank those at the Undeclared/Undergraduate office for giving me the special opportunity to be part of the 2024-25 line-up of Zot Bloggers! I am so glad I took on this opportunity as a way to leave my mark on this school… and get some extra credits lol. As I come to a bittersweet ending, I am very glad that I was able to experience and make many new memories during my first year here at UC Irvine. Even more special was being able to share this journey with all of you. Here’s to the future ahead (I CAN’T WAIT FOR SUMMER!!!)!

It’s time to pass the torch to the incoming Zot Bloggers–Lucas Chan, signing off.

Thank you for reading my last blog. Check out my other blog posts in the 24-25 archive!

All the best,

Lucas

First Meeting Anna

When I first met Anna, she was my TA for my Sociology 1 discussion section here at UCI. Attending her discussion sections, she was always pretty outgoing and would share a piece of her life story with our class from time to time. I especially loved when she shared pictures of her cat every week during our discussion section to give us a dose of joy before we began covering lecture material. Anna was great at covering the complex topics/concepts that we discussed in the lecture because she was really passionate about sociology. I was especially interested in her journey from North Carolina to California to further her academic pursuits in the field of sociology! When I was given the opportunity to interview a UCI faculty/staff member, I knew Anna would be the perfect choice for me because I wanted to know so much more about her experience of moving from one side of the country to the other to further her education in sociology.

Anna’s Academic Journey

Currently, Anna is completing her PhD in sociology at UC Irvine and has recently been a part-time lecturer at CSU Long Beach. She has come a long way from not knowing what to pursue during her time learning at UNC-Chapel Hill to finally finding something she can be passionate about. Coming from a small town in North Carolina, Anna opened up about what it was like growing up in an area where the topic of sociology was rarely talked about to the point where she didn’t even know what it was. Not until she took a general education class at UNC-Chapel Hill on sociology called “Race and Ethnic Relations in the U.S.”–Anna learned and reflected on the concepts of race, class, and gender, realizing their effects on society. This sparked her interest in the field because she saw how impactful it was on her life, so Anna decided to major and continue to take more classes in sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Finishing up her undergraduate studies, Anna was encouraged by a professor to apply for grad schools. She was definitely overwhelmed by this idea, but the encouragement from her professor gave her the confidence to apply to 13 graduate schools to further her education! She chose UC Irvine because she liked the idea of moving across the country to California (and because it was cool). She did mention that the transition was a bit stressful since she had never visited California before applying for grad school here but ended up adapting and enjoying her time so far. Moving on with her grad coursework, she explained how all of her classes were more discussion-based (not many people in the PhD program at UCI), making her more pressured to participate, which I saw as a good thing because she gets to engage with her peers more on the material that she is learning. Currently, her PhD studies deal with race, gender, and relationships in the U.S. She mentions that her learning was similar to her undergraduate studies, but she emphasized how her grad coursework involved a lot more reading and was overall more intense.

Experiences With Being a TA and Part-time Lecturer at CSULB

I asked Anna about her time as a TA and lecturer which were huge turning points in her professional growth. At first, the idea of being a TA was a bit frightening to her, but as soon as she started, she found joy in talking about topics in sociology she is truly passionate about. What she enjoys the most is being able to engage with students back and forth about different ideas and opinions, trying to help them all find their own voice on certain issues in society and see how they grow throughout the quarter. This is also one of the most challenging aspects of being a TA. It is a bit hard trying to keep the class engaged–especially in general education courses like Sociology 1 at UCI. However, Anna likes to make the most out of it, and it has helped her realize her new liking, which is TEACHING!!!

As mentioned before, Anna recently taught and finished her first semester as a part-time lecturer at CSU Long Beach! She taught two classes of up to 2025 students about research methods in sociology and loved it. She was able to take on this opportunity as a part-time lecturer by directly emailing the chair of the department at CSULB, and luckily enough, was able to land a position. In the future, Anna will be going back during the fall semester to teach a statistics course within sociology!

Anna’s Advice for Students

One piece of advice Anna shared with me was the mindset that she stuck with to keep her moving through life’s challenges. Anna shared “You have to support yourself; you have to make sure you’re good, your body’s good, your brain is good before you can do anything within the classroom,” underlining the fact that you must be in good health to be well-prepped for future challenges. Furthermore, Anna advises people to define their priorities/what they want to do in life. These priorities should be something that you’d like to engage with, something that energizes you. Over time, striving for these priorities will start to feel like a very heavy weight, so Anna adds on by saying “Don’t be afraid to take breaks. Burnout is real.” It is very important to set attainable goals but do not let them overwhelm you.

Another piece of advice Anna mentioned was to value your connections. She believes that the people she met during her undergraduate studies played a huge role in her academic growth. “I think what was key for me was just having people who saw something in me and wanted me to succeed. That was the reason I ended up, especially in grad school.” She suggests that it is crucial to surround yourself with people who shape your journey through their support. You’ll find that meaningful connections can open new doors, helping you grow towards positions in life you never thought you’d reach.

Throughout our conversation, Anna circled back to the progress she has made in her academic journey—it was unimaginable to see how far she has come from where she started to where she is today. As a person who didn’t know what sociology was, her academic journey from Chapel Hill to UC Irvine is a monument to believing in oneself, even if you’re uncertain of the future path you’ll take. From an advising perspective, Anna shared, “One of the biggest things I would encourage people to do is to not limit themselves and what they think they can do.” She continued, “I look back at what I’ve done and how much I still am going to do, and I’m just so, in many ways, surprised that I’m here.” She encourages people to take big risks in navigating what they want to study or do. Embracing new challenges and being persistent can lead you to new opportunities and experiences that motivate you to grow.

Ending Note

I am glad to have been able to listen to Anna’s challenging and transformative academic journey as it inspires me to also strive for greatness in all aspects of life, whether it is academically, socially, or professionally! Anna, if you’re reading this, thank you again 🙂 I hope that the people who read this blog will also be inspired by your academic journey as well.

Thank you for reading my blog and please stick around to read even more of my Zot Blogs!

All the best,

Lucas