Viviana Alvarez-Rodriguez

Hometown: Fontana, CA  

Undergraduate Institution: California State University, San Bernardino

Department and year in program: History, 2nd year

Viviana Alvarez-Rodriguez is a first-generation PhD student from the Inland Empire in Southern California. She completed her undergraduate studies at California State University, San Bernardino where she earned a B.A in history. Her current research looks at urbanization and multi-racial activism in twentieth century Veracruz, Mexico. Viviana is pursuing a doctoral degree with the goal of becoming a professor at a public Hispanic-Serving Institution.  

Jennifer Barajas

Hometown: Henderson, NV 

Undergraduate institution: Nevada State University  

Department and year in program:  Psychological Science Department, 4th year

As a first-generation student who migrated to the U.S. at a young age and had to transition to a different language, societal norms, and way of life, I always felt inferior to other students regarding my academic performance. Now, as a 4th-year Ph.D. student in Psychological Science, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP) fellow, and futura doctora, I am confident that my life experiences have shaped the person I am today. Outside of my research program—specifically studying occupational injustices and their contributions to health disparities in Latino populations—I enjoy pilates, swimming in the ocean, trying new foods, and exploring the beautiful landscapes Southern California has to offer. 

Reinaldo Cabrera Perez

Hometown: Havana, Cuba

Undergraduate institution: University of Florida

Department and year in program: School of Education, 2nd year

¡Hola! I’m Reinaldo Cabrera Pérez, a first-generation Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine, in the School of Education. I completed a dual Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Russian Studies, and earned a Russian-English Translations Certificate from the University of Florida. My research focuses on bilingualism and language development, specifically the effects of early bilingual experiences on cognitive and linguistic outcomes. Outside of academics, I enjoy hiking, dancing salsa, and exploring new cuisines. These activities help me stay balanced and connect with diverse cultures. I’m eager to connect with prospective UCI graduate students to share my experiences and perspectives, and to offer insights into navigating graduate studies and research at UC Irvine.  

Josh Kim

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea 

Undergraduate Institution: Vassar College

Department and Year in Program: Informatics, 3rd year

My name is Seungjun Kim and I go by Josh! I am a 3rd year Informatics PhD student conducting research on the joint use of AI and music to address mental health challenges that young adults are facing nowadays. I am advised by Dr. Sean Young who is an expert in developing interventions for drug abuse or/and HIV patients. If anyone has questions about my department and advisor, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! I love outdoor activities and sports including tennis, surfing, and hiking. I appreciate living in Irvine as the city provides the perfect weather and environment for enjoying my hobbies. I also worked as a research data engineer for 2 years before coming into my PhD program and so for those who are currently working and maybe considering going to grad school from there, hearing about my experiences may be valuable! Please ask me questions on that front if you have any!

Allison Morehouse

Hometown: Newport Beach, CA

Undergraduate Institution:  UC Berkeley

Department and year in program:  Cognitive Science, 3rd Year 

Allison is a current 3rd year PhD student in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience. She is studying how sleep consolidates and processes emotional memories and spatial navigation. Aside from research, Allison enjoys going to the beach, reading, hiking, camping, trying new food, inspiring young minds to study neuroscience, and meeting new people. Allison is very happy she chose UCI because of the abundance of learning opportunities and the guidance of an incredible and supportive advisor. However, she found the process of applying to graduate school really challenging. She felt that there were limited online resources detailing the requirements/steps, what graduate school entailed, the differences between programs, and where to locate this information if it was available. This inspired Allison to join the Graduate Student Ambassador Program, where she hopes to alleviate confusion and help fill gaps in knowledge for prospective students. 

Olti Myrtaj

Hometown: Chesapeake, VA

Undergraduate Institution: Virginia Tech

Department and year in program: Physics and Astronomy, 4th year

I am a PhD candidate at UC Irvine working on galaxy formation. I use simulations to explore the structure and origins of our Milky Way galaxy. Outside of research, I enjoy playing the piano, swimming, and trying new restaurants with my friends. My academic journey started off when I was young. My family moved from Albania when I was two years old after my dad won a green card lottery. They did not have access to education after high school when they were my age and this has taught me to help and provide useful mentorship to the next generation of students. On my journey to graduate school, the mentorship aspect of my education has made a big difference in my overall experience. I've learned that empowering young minds to pursue meaningful education, especially in graduate school, can strengthen our society.