Social Sciences (Faculty & Staff)

Berkeley Social Sciences Commencement 2024: Celebrating a Milestone of Achievement

May 23, 2024
By Berkeley Social Sciences Staff

CogSci Commencement 2024

Cognitive Sciences graduates. Photo by Emily Yang.

Berkeley Social Sciences’ 15 departments and programs held their commencement ceremonies last week, which included notable speakers, to celebrate their students’ hard work and perseverance to earn their degrees. There were many moments of pure joy for the students, many of whom did not have a...

Anthropology Professor Kent Lightfoot receives the Society for American Archaeology’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award

May 28, 2024
By Berkeley Anthropology Staff

UC Berkeley Anthropology Professor Kent G. Lightfoot received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for American Archaeology for his innovative approach to combining archaeology with contemporary social justice issues which contributes new understandings of the Anthropocene era.

Professor Lightfoot’s research explores the interactions between Indigenous peoples and European settlers, highlighting the history and effects of settler colonialism. He works closely with Native Californian tribes, helping to develop new ways to...

History Professor Dzovinar Derderian talks about her students, Armenian history and mentorship

May 20, 2024
By Emily Yang

History Professor Dzovinar Derderian began on her journey to become an academic because of her strong desire for an American education (having grown up in Armenia) and her interest in the social sciences and humanities through the conversation with her family and friends. Sharing her Armenian heritage and history has become a focal point in her research, teaching, and relationship with her students....

35th Annual Excellence in Management Awards Celebrate Four L&S Staff Members

May 4, 2023

At the annual Excellence in Management awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 2, the Berkeley Staff Assembly recognized outstanding university staff employees from across campus. The 2023 theme, "Everyday Heroes: Leading the Path to Excellence," paid homage to individuals whose leadership demonstrated and encouraged mentorship, dignity, respect, and belonging. Nominees were selected and evaluated based on three main criteria:

Intentionality: Manager/supervisor clearly defines...

L&S faculty and staff honored with 2023 Excellence in Advising & Student Services awards

November 13, 2023

UC Berkeley’s Council on Advising and Student Services and awards planning committee recently announced the recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Advising & Student Services Awards, which recognize the recipients' positive and innovative impacts on student learning, engagement, and belonging on the Berkeley campus.

The a...

L&S staff honored with 2024 Excellence in Management awards

April 23, 2024

The Berkeley Staff Assembly recently announced the recipients of the 36th annual Excellence in Management Award, who are recognized for leading their teams and team members to meaningful accomplishments this past year. This year’s award theme, “Cultivating Staff, Harvesting Success: Recognizing Excellence in Management" highlights leaders who excel in cultivating their staff, leading to overall success for the team and the organization.

The award recipients will be honored at a ceremony on April 30 from 2-3 pm, where Chancellor...

Dream Big: A sociology graduate's journey from a dark past to UC Berkeley and Harvard

May 15, 2024
By Emily Yang

Ten years ago, Johnny Smith sat in a prison cell with no hope and no future. And that’s when he decided to dream big and "reinvent" himself.

The UC Berkeley Sociology senior’s long and arduous journey from drug abuse to homelessness, to incarceration, and eventually, to Cal is a tale of tragedy and triumph. Overcoming impossible odds, Johnny, who is a first-generation college student, graduated this week with the highest honor awarded to a graduating undergraduate sociology student, the Sociology Departmental Citation, placing him top of his class this year. He will...

Achieving the Dream: A newly minted UC Berkeley grad juggled motherhood and academics to earn her bachelor's degree

May 13, 2024
Kenny Ma

As a working mom who is raising two boys, Alma Rodriguez commuted three hours a day to attend the world's best public institution.

She's also a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, who worked extremely hard to earn a spot at UC Berkeley, where she graduated this week with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She’s off to Stanford University in the fall on a full scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education.

Nothing has ever come easy for Alma. Her grit and determination to succeed...

Berkeley Sociology student Mellony Palma wins Robert J. and Mary Catherine Birgeneau Recognition Award

May 10, 2024
By Emily Yang

Mellony Palma, a Berkeley senior majoring in Sociology, was recently selected for Berkeley’s Robert J. and Mary Catherine Birgeneau Recognition Award for Service to Underrepresented Students for her efforts to help young children and adults navigate the foster system. The award honors individuals whose work betters the lives of those in underrepresented communities.

Palma, who was in the foster care...

Finding Education: A Berkeley senior’s journey from the abyss to a sociology degree

May 9, 2024
By Emily Yang

Somdeng “Danny” Thongsy knows what it’s like to be dealt a bad hand in life.

A refugee from Laos, he grew up in a tough neighborhood, living in poverty and surrounded by gangs. His brother was murdered when Danny was a teenager. This led Danny to commit a serious crime that landed him a 27-years-to-life sentence in state prison.

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