Three outstanding students have received 2025 Louise A. and Stephen D. Pahl "Making a Difference" Awards from The Pahl Center for the Study of Critical Social Issues: Becky Chen, Emma Hirsch and Asher Rose. According to Pahl Center Director Dr. Sastry, the awards were made possible with the support and oversight of the Social Sciences Divisional Leadership; in particular, Associate Dean Walid Afifi, who worked to identify and select the projects.
"The award provides a maximum of $5,000 per recipient and was designed to support a Social Sciences undergraduate who is leading (or co-leading) a community-centered research project," Dr. Sastry said. "We interpret “community-centered” broadly to encompass projects that involve substantive dialogue and collaboration with an organized group of community members that have a role in shaping the research methods and objectives of the project."
Becky Chen, 22, received her award for "Extracted and Exposed: Student Tenant Conditions in Isla Vista. Chen is a senior double majoring in Sociology and Film and Media Studies at UCSB. As a social justice leader, she has organized around housing rights and the Asian American movement since high school. She is fascinated by topics related to technology and labor, and intends on working for a nurses’ union post graduation. By combining theory and action, she conducts community-centered research and public intellectual projects in hopes of empowering people with knowledge. "With financial support from the Pahl Center, I was able to interview over 30 student tenants in Isla Vista and capture their diverse experiences with unsafe and unaffordable housing conditions," she said. "Because I had the time and resources, I was also able to use some of their testimonies to create an eye-opening documentary that calls for unified action from UCSB, Santa Barbara’s Board of Supervisors, and the community at large."
Emma Hirsh, 23, received an award for "Limits of the “Green Republic”: Agroecology, Land Sharing, and Food Sovereignty at Mojojoy Agri-Cultura in Costa Rica." Hirsh graduated from UCSB in June 2025 with a double major in Global Studies and Environmental Studies. She grew up in San Jose, Costa Rica, and moved to Roseville, CA at the age of 11. She is interested in the potential of agriculture as a world shaping practice and site of political struggle, specifically political agroecology, at the intersection of ecosystem health, biodiversity, food sovereignty, and campesino liberation. "The Pahl “Making a Difference” Award allowed me to spend meaningful time with two farmers working toward an agroecological future, time that fundamentally deepened my understanding of their struggles and work," Hirsch said. "While formal interviews were important, it was living alongside them that revealed the trust and relationships essential to non-extractive social science research. This experience would not have been possible without the material support of the award."
Asher Rose, 22, received his award for "Room For Nuance: Dissent and Jewish Student Experiences Since October 7, 2023." Rose is a UCSB senior majoring in Sociology with a minor in Jewish Studies. Hailing from Davis, CA, he has diverse interests including Social Movements, Housing, Political Sociology, and Spatial Studies. After his time at UCSB, he will begin a PhD in Sociology at the University of Notre Dame in the fall of 2026. "Thanks to the Pahl "Making a Difference" Award," he said, "I was able to expand my study to have an impact beyond just UCSB to make a broader impact for Jewish students by fostering dialogue."