At UCI, undergrads have many responsibilities in their academic work, their clubs/organizations, and as well their social/personal life. But how does one find the steadiness within it all? Well, here is how one School of Social Ecology undergrad does it, and that is Criminology, Law, and Society major Alex Chang!
Before we get into the school life of Alex Chang, let’s find out how Alex arrived at UCI and decided on a Criminology, Law, and Society major, with a minor in Civic and Community Engagement minor.
Like some of us, Alex did not know what to major in after high school. When researching majors, he came across criminology, which piqued his interest. Although UCI was the only UC with a Criminology program, Alex originally decided to go Northwestern on the East Coast. It was not until UCI accepted him off the waitlist that he officially decided to attend this school.
Telling someone that you are a Criminology major can lead the person into automatically replying with “Oh cool! Like, CSI and True Crime, right?” However, going into the major, Alex’s similar belief of the “televised” concepts of Criminology quickly changed after learning about how Criminology has a more sociological perspective that discusses serious issues, such as incarceration or racial disparities within the criminal justice system. Regardless of its contrast to entertainment media, Alex continued with Criminology as he was interested in helping people within the system and the community, which is where his minor in Civic and Community engage also comes along.
“I would like to make a change. Maybe work in the community advocacy field, or maybe a nonprofit, just to work with people. I want to work with community advocacy, specifically like its name, civic and community engagement, meaning you work to civically participate in it and learn about how to civically participate in society and better contribute to it. That's just the sort of application that I'm interested in and building up communities for the work that I'm interested in, and I want to connect my criminology interests with this secondary.”
Fast forwarding to his current life at UCI, Alex keeps himself busy with his schoolwork, club work, and organizations. On a typical school day, Alex goes to his 9:30 AM class (very early, I know). After class, he focuses on schoolwork or his field study, working as a transfer coordinator for UCI’s Underground Scholars Program, which helps systemic impacted individuals looking to transfer into the school. Once he completes his schoolwork and field study hours, he works on tasks for his clubs, the Taiwanese American Organization (TAO) or the Prison Education Project (PEP). For his Tuesday TAO meetings, he prepares materials for presentation; meanwhile, before his Wednesday PEP meetings, he organizes the meetings, emailing professors to speak of their career experiences for the club. After club tasks, the remaining free time he has left is spent on procrastinated schoolwork or weekly research meetings with the Underground Scholars. A busy schedule indeed!
Nonetheless, being entrusted with so many activities can lead to a sort of burnout, a relatable exhaustion within all college students. This is true, especially for Alex this year as he has felt worn out from being involved in so much, from organizations to schoolwork. To deal with this fatigue, Alex has a few ways of overcoming it.
“I develop coping strategies, such as you know, cooking, going to the arc, or singing, I guess. But, in a sense, I do feel like there is a gap. I mean, that in addressing, I guess those negative emotions, that is this constant cycle, you know, going to school, doing clubs stuff, and there is a monotony to it. So I feel like the way to escape that gap is to just rely and go to people that you love, and trust. And I really think that's where that's where the real support system comes from. Going to people that you can talk to. And just not them but just to have a support system for your own mental and emotional needs. And it's about finding your people and realizing that this does take a toll on you. Like going to school and all that and having the people that you can, that you trust to have around you. Like, doesn't have to be a lot, but it's, it's more important than ever is what I'm saying.”
Alex as well emphasizes the importance of mental health. Growing up in a conservative Asian American household, mental health was not a priority. He used to believe that one should not express their emotions, rather, one should repress them. That was until his years at UCI made him realize the importance of mental health and the resources that are available on campus.
“And so for me, mental health has become this thing that I really feel you need to take care of yourself. And whether that means, you know, finding time for yourself or finding a therapist, to talk about your feelings or just how life has been affecting you. I think that's really important.”
Take care of yourself, eat well, sleep well, and have healthy habits. Don't neglect self-care. This also means mental as well, take the time to take care of yourself. Exercise. Walk. Whatever makes you feel relaxed, whether that be watching a movie or reading a book, playing video games. Take care of your mental health because that is ultimately the thing that will get you through everything.”
There is always a point in one’s academic career where they think “What is the point of this? Why am I doing this?” Alex as well had these draining thoughts, but they quickly diminish once he remembers his passion in helping out the community. His passion shines through teaching incarcerated individuals and assisting underground scholars as it “sets the monotony of schoolwork apart”. You can definitely see that his motivation comes from participating in social work. One of his postgrad goals includes finding a job that he enjoys, preferably within a nonprofit or a community organization. Nonetheless, he expresses an open mindedness to deal with postgrad anxiety:
“In five years, if I still don't know what to do, it's not the end of the world. There's still time to explore. So I shouldn't be too hard on myself but we will start from there and if that changes so be it. I think it's a continuous journey of learning and self-discovery so I want to be learning about myself and others and career opportunities on what I can accomplish with my purpose.”
Being a Criminology major myself, it was really interesting to see the perspective of another person within my major and their daily life at UCI. I also loved hearing about Alex’s passion and how he is able to have a humanistic connection in what he does, in which I could personally tell why he chose that major. Closing up the interview, I asked Alex what one piece of advice he can give to UCI students within the school of social ecology. He wants students to pursue the work that they care deeply about, without worrying about career outcomes.
“I would encourage you to think beyond that perspective of career success and monetary gain. Everyone has chosen their path for a reason. And your path as a social ecology major is one that is unique to yourself and don't be discouraged on what you are doing because I know that you're doing great work. Stick to your passion and how you want to make a difference in the world.”
This is valuable advice that people, beyond the school of social ecology and even beyond UCI, should consider throughout their academic and professional careers.
