Undergraduate Research and Professional Development Award

The Huerta Center director maintains a modest fund that supports exceptional full-time UC Santa Cruz undergraduates actively working in Chicano, Latino, Latin American, migration and/or human rights studies. Recipients may use the award for research projects, travel for research, or to present work at a professional meeting. To apply, students must demonstrate that Chicano, Latino, Latin American, migration and/or human rights studies is a primary field of their research and they must be in good academic standing.

This award is open to students in all divisions at UCSC. In addition to submitting a one-page application letter and itemized budget to the Huerta Center director (huerta@ucsc.edu), applicants must be recommended by a faculty member affiliated with the Huerta Center. Awardees must submit a one-page report to the Huerta Center no more than four weeks after spending the funds and are expected to acknowledge the Huerta Center’s support in any publications related to the sponsored research. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and pending funding.

Joel Frankel Memorial Award

This award is administered by the Latin American and Latino Studies Department. Please email the LALS undergraduate advisor for more information at lalsadvising@ucsc.edu.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received during the academic year with decisions made within 4-6 weeks of submission.

The JFMA provides grants to support undergraduate field study projects in Latin America or in Spanish-speaking communities within the United States. While any UCSC undergraduate may apply, priority is given to Merrill College students, Latin American & Latino Studies majors and Politics majors focusing on Latin American and Latina/o issues, whose proposals reflect the founding spirit and vision that established the fund.

About Joel Frankel and the Award

The fund is named in honor of Joel Frankel, Class of 1979, a Politics major with a strong interest in Latin America and Third World Studies who was co-founder and coordinator of the former World Studies Table.

Joel was an active member of the Merrill community. He firmly believed in the emphasis that UCSC placed on experiential learning and utilized many of the unique programs and facilities Merrill and UCSC had to offer. Joel was particularly concerned about humanitarian struggles in Central America and South Africa.

He traveled extensively in Latin America. While on a field study in Colombia, he wrote many letters to the Merrill Field Program which communicated the richness and depth of his experiences. He also gathered resource materials for the Merrill College Third World Teaching Resource Center. Upon his return to the University, he met with students to share information with them about his field study and helped to create the World Studies Table, which for several years was a place where students, faculty, and guest lecturers would talk about their travels and research.

Joel died of leukemia on March 31, 1982 at the age of 24. He lived a relatively short amount of time, yet his involvement, concern, and compassion had an impact on all of those who knew him and can serve to encourage others to take more responsibility for their own lives and for the well-being of others.

Awards from the Joel Frankel Fund are made annually. Both the quality of the project proposal and financial need will be considered. Recipients of the Fund will be expected to make a presentation to the Merrill community, to contribute any written work and/or place any audio/visual material in the offices of the Latin American and Latino Studies Department. The student is also expected to prepare a summary describing the outcome of the field study.

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UC Santa Cruz undergraduates interested in additional research and professional development opportunities should reach out directly to Undergraduate Research Opportunities, the Undergraduate Honors Program, the Career Center, and the Professional Career and Development Program. Find additional research and funding opportunities through the Institute for Social Transformation’s Building Belonging and Transforming Futures programs.