SSHA Undergraduates Honored for Sparkling Academic Careers – UC Merced

Honorees (top row, from left) Brianna Gonzalez, Cosmo Campbell, Charu Raihan, Alexandr Kumin, Ashley Calvillo; (bottom, from left) Kaisy Reynoso, Karina Pulido, Cesar Chavez Guzman, Tracy Cao. Not pictured: Brooke Acebo, Tabarak Hameed, Delfina Solorio.
UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts honors 13 undergraduates for outstanding academic careers.
Dean Leo Arriola said the honorees made their mark with significant research activities, exemplary leadership and notable service to UC Merced and the community. Each student was scheduled to graduate this spring or summer with a bachelor’s degree and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.
The honorees* and their majors (and minors, where applicable):
Anthropology: Alexandr Kumin conducted research during a Yosemite National Park internship, using LIDAR and 3-D scans of archaeological landscapes. Other research included a trip to the Peruvian Amazon. Kumin was a central figure in reviving and expanding the student Anthropology Society and was an advocate for international students.
Cognitive Science: Tracy Cao assisted in Professor Tyler Marghetis’ lab, helping investigate the foundations of the human conceptual system. Cao held several leadership roles in the Pilipinx-American Alliance, and organized and led Gauntlet, which aimed to bring the spirit of the California Friendship Games to UC Merced.
Global Arts Studies: Brianna Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in visual studies. She contributed nuanced and thoughtful ideas in Image and Sound (GASP 109). Gonzalez balanced classwork, a dining job and an internship at La Galería. Her art was selected for exhibitions in Northern and Southern California for the Origin Stories Exhibition Project.
History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies: Brooke Acebo is dedicated to serving the Indigenous community of the Citizen Potowatomi Nation, of which she is a member. She led the editorial board of the student-run History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Undergraduate Journal for two academic years. Under her leadership, the journal expanded its impact among students and the campus community.
Management and Business Economics: Tabarak Hameed, who minored in interdisciplinary public health,  completed several independent research projects and had multiple internships. She now works as an intern for the City of Modesto in Community and Economic Development. She serves as a reader for peers in the MBE core curriculum.
Public Health: Karina Pulido, who minored in psychology and in community research and service, demonstrated strong research skills in courses such as Introduction to Biostatistics and Research Methods. She is attentive to details and communicates effectively with peers and instructors. She participated in activities such as National Public Health Week events.
Philosophy: Cosmo Campbell was a research assistant for Professor Dan Hicks, helping develop a survey instrument and manually coding data for a text mining project. In Fall 2025, he became vice president of the local chapter of Minorities and Philosophy. He is also involved in Examined Life, a weekly discussion group on the discipline and its connections to popular culture and politics.
Political Science: Delfina Solorio served as a Legislative Fellow at the Center for Analytic Political Engagement. In addition to being in the cohort, she worked for the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris and the Building Industry Association of the Greater Valley. She was also a CAPE program assistant. Through internships and assistantships, her research included public records analysis, agenda tracking and written policy support.
Psychology: Charu Raihan received a bachelor’s degree in health psychology and minored in interdisciplinary public health. She was a research assistant in Professor Anna Epperson’s Health Psychology Lab and a research intern for the Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center. She held a paid internship with the California Department of Public Health in 2025. She was president of Psi Chi, the psychology honors society.
Sociology: Ashley Calvillo served as external vice president of the Sociology Club and as event coordinator of Ballet Folklórico de UC Merced. She participated in events such as the California Sociological Association Conference. She was also a peer mentor for the Gateway Scholars Program at the Calvin E. Bright Success Center.
Spanish: Cesar Chavez Guzman’s capstone project, under the mentorship of Professor Bristin Jones, called for him to design and execute an interdisciplinary study of the cultural, social and religious dimensions of Purépecha traditions in rural Michoacán, Mexico. The work included interviews with people in his hometown of Chucándiro. He was president of Sigma Delta Pi and Club de Español, which partnered with Bobcat Community Builders to serve food to unhoused locals.
Writing Studies: Kaisy Reynoso engaged in research to bring awareness to parents of teenagers and young adults about the impacts of how young-adult relationships are portrayed in media, particularly television and film. The work included a survey and an extensive review of literature. She created a website that describes the research. Reynoso also worked for two semesters on the Undergraduate Research Journal.
* The awardee in economics chose to be anonymous.
University of California, Merced
5200 North Lake Rd.
Merced, CA 95343
Telephone: (209) 228-4400

source