Student Research Spotlight
Jacquelyn Moran
Sociology Major and McNair Scholar
Short bio: Jacquelyn Moran is a fourth-year undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona, earning a Bachelor's degree and credential in Liberal Studies from the College of Education & Integrative Studies. Her current research focuses on resources for students in special education programs. Jacquelyn plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Education Policy to advocate for historically underserved communities and students with learning disabilities. Her passion for education comes from her experiences growing up in Santa Ana, CA, and her love for her baby cousin, who was born with disabilities. In Fall 2024, she will begin a local master's program.
Current Research: Jacquelyn's research project is titled "Latino Children in Special Education Programs." The research was completed as part of her McNair Research Project and under the mentorship of Dr. Sekani Robinson.
In all parts of school districts, students should be provided with the resources needed to be successful students, i.e. such as books, technology, and many more. Different schools have different resources to help students learn. The resources provided to students in school can vary widely depending on the educational institution, its level (elementary, middle, high school, or higher education), and its location. 15% of children in the US are disabled, with 3% of that number occurring in California (Schaeffer, 2023). There are many kids with disabilities in Santa Ana, Orange County. The population of kids with disabilities in Santa Ana City, Orange County is “67.8%” stated by Kids Data (Population Reference Bureau, 2022). Given that over half of the students in Santa Ana, California have disabilities, I plan on conducting 10 in-depth interviews with elementary teachers and administrators, in person at the schools in which they teach and 20 in-depth interviews with Latino parents with children in special education classes.I approach these questions utilizing the platica method. The platica method is a Chicana/Latina Feminist method in which refers to techniques that provide the theory & analysis of research. It is culturally appropriate for me to use platica method since many of these individuals are women and Latinas. I hope to find that these parents are able to tell me that they feel that they don’t have enough resources but the teachers will say they do in the classroom.
Jacquelyn's research presented at the 15th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium received the Best Oral Presentation Award in Sociology.
Student Research Team
Jordan Johnson, Jerran Sumimoto, and Pedro Rosales
Jordan Johnson is a third-year Criminology major with a minor in Writing Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. She is the incoming president of the Criminology Club and a founder of the Crime Media Lab, which aims to produce educational content to combat online misinformation. Jordan is conducting two independent research studies on the experiences of female influencers and the evolution of romantic content in media. Passionate about fashion, culture, and societal change, she explores how fashion quietly influences culture across time. After earning her bachelor's degree, Jordan plans to pursue a master's in Sociology. Her long-term goals include writing for Vogue, authoring books about her experiences as a female influencer, and continuing her research.
Jerran Sumimoto is a second-year undergraduate student at CPP, Pomona, majoring in Criminology with a minor in Sociology. He is on track to graduate in the Spring of 2026. Upon completing his bachelor’s degree, he plans to pursue his Juris Doctor at an accredited law school. His long-term goals include becoming a civil litigation attorney and to implement his love for music, basketball, and Japanese culture into the sociological field.
Current Research: The research project is titled "Clickbait or Content? How a Criminology Media Lab Can Combat Disinformation and Create Public-Facing Criminological Scholarship." The research was completed as part of the Media Lab and under the mentorship of Dr. Philippe Duhart and Dr. Peter Hanink.
From yellow journalism in the late 19th century to sensational news broadcasts in the 20th century, the modern age faces a similar phenomenon in social media. Social media, both grassroots and corporate, has transformed news reporting, particularly in crime. Content creators operate with minimal restrictions, often sensationalizing stories through tactics like clickbait, algorithm manipulation, and selective reporting. Unlike traditional media, social media offers short, digestible formats that dominate crime reporting, exposing millions to constant fear and gruesome content while encouraging interaction. This can lead to the distortion of truth and mischaracterization of crime victims. Our goal is to provide scholarly, educated content in accessible social media formats to counteract misinformation and offer a rarely seen perspective online.
The research presented at the 15th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium received the Best Poster Presentation Award.
Dinah Ramirez Avitia
Sociology Major & Social Work Emphasis
Short Bio: Dinah is a fourth-year sociology undergraduate and a Kellogg Honors College student at CPP. She is on track to graduate in the Spring of 2023. Dinah has research experience in the Sociology Department and Kellogg Honors College, conducting her own research project under the faculty mentorship of Dr. Anjana Narayan. Dinah has presented her research at the 11th RSCA conference, the Western Regional Honors Council Conference at the University of Missoula, Montana, and the 14th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium at Cal Poly.
Current Research: Dinah's research project is titled "The Gender Pay Gap: The Experiences of Women Faculty at Cal Poly Pomona." The research was completed as part of her Honors College Capstone Project and under the mentorship of Dr. Anjana Narayan.
Despite many anti-discrimination laws, women continue to make less than their male counterparts. On average, women make 83 cents for every dollar men make (AAUW). For this research, I utilize descriptive statistics to assess if gender affects the earnings of women faculty and whether high-achieving women are devalued in academia. I relied on the 2021-2022 survey data from the American Association of University Professors. In addition, I analyzed CSU data and particularly Cal Poly Pomona data. Findings show that women across all academic ranks still earn less than men. I also conducted in-depth interviews exploring female faculty experiences, challenges they encountered related to gender inequality, and coping strategies to address this issue. The qualitative findings revealed that while women faculty are aware of the gender pay gap, they feel fulfilled by their work and have a strong passion for their field of study. Work-life balance, a strong sense of community within their department, opportunities for professional growth, leadership, and unionization have all contributed to overall job satisfaction and fulfillment. However, women faculty members feel they need to do more to continue achieving more equity. Though closing the gender pay gap is an important step towards achieving gender equality, it is not enough to fully address the systemic issues women face in the workforce. Structural theorists have argued that the gender pay gap is just one aspect of a larger problem, including discrimination, bias, lack of representation, and opportunities for women in leadership roles. Closing the pay gap alone would not address the intersectionality of gender with other factors such as race, sexual orientation, and disability, which also create disparities in the workforce. To truly achieve gender equality in the workforce, a comprehensive approach is needed that addresses all these issues and creates a culture of inclusion and equity. Dinah has been invited to present her research at various regional and national conferences during the past academic year, 2022-2023.
Her research presented at the 14th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium received the Best Poster Presentation Award in Sociology.
Mandi L. Villanueva
Sociology Major & Social Work Emphasis
Short Bio: Mandi is a third-year undergraduate student in the Department of Sociology. She is on track to graduate Summa Cum Laude in Spring 2023 and to attend Cal State Fullerton to pursue a Master's Degree in Social Work. Mandi is in the Kellogg Honors College, plays for the CPP Women's Club Soccer team, and has been conducting research since Fall 2021 with mentor Dr. Collazo. She has presented at the 13th & 14th annual Lowell Overton Symposium at Cal Poly, the 11th RSCA conference, and is set to present at the CSU-wide S4 Social Science symposium in May.
Current Research: Mandi's research project is titled "Beyond the Playing Field: Collegiate Athletics and Perceptions of Depression" with advisor and mentor Dr. José Luis Colazo Jr. Her study examines, through an online survey, how the level of stress of involvement in collegiate athletics affects the collegiate athletes attending CPP and their perceptions of depression regarding their mental health. Addressing the number of stressors and perceptions of depression opens opportunities for researchers to gain an understanding of the potential needs of collegiate athletes to ensure overall well-being. This study addresses three research questions concerning the number of stressors athletes have, the level of perceived involvement from support systems and resources, and a possible variation by gender.
Additionally, Mandi studied the management skills and abilities of collegiate athletes and the utilization of resources such as Counseling and Psychological Services at CPP. Data was collected from a sample of collegiate athletes attending Cal Poly Pomona during the Fall 2022 semester, and multiple regression was used to estimate the effect of the independent variables on the dependent variable while holding other variables constant (Allison 1999). Findings significantly show an increase in the stressors of involvement in a collegiate athlete’s life will increase the likelihood of an athlete perceiving feelings of depression. Mandi also found that when athletes have a higher perceived ability to manage stressors, perceptions of depression lower with the addition of a marginal impact of higher involvement from support systems. Using these results, Mandi found that universities and other support systems may better engage with collegiate athletes by extending resources and outreach, such as routine workshops and skill teaching, improving their overall well-being and success in the future.
Her research presented at the 14th Lowell Overton Undergraduate Research Symposium received the Best Presentation Award in Sociology. Mandi also received the Best Quantitative Paper Award at the CSU-wide social science conference SSRIC.