The Undergraduate Program in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford

Our Alumni

"I chose to major in CSRE because I wanted to integrate the experiences I had in community clinics with my more formal academic work. I saw how race, ethnicity, and gender play important roles in health behaviors and health care, and I hope that studying these issues as an undergraduate will ultimately help me to be a more compassionate physician. I've loved being a CSRE major because of the individual attention and support I receive from faculty and fellow majors, as well as the grants and special opportunities (such as PPI) made available by the program." Maggie Chen, Class of 2009 CSRE Major with Honors, Concentration: Health
“Majoring in Chicana/o Studies has provided a foundation from which I can analyze the intersections of various components of identity, and apply this understanding to critically examine art, literature, and other media.” Katie Frank, Class of 2009 Chicana/o Studies Major
"Majoring in CSRE has given me the opportunity to pursue a deeper understanding of educational issues and inequities along racial and ethnic lines. The CSRE faculty continually provide their insights into the best ways to use public policy and politics to advocate on behalf on underserved communities of color from an interdisciplinary approach. Most importantly of all, it has pushed me to think critically about my role as a public servant as I continue to merge my interests in community work, academia, and advocacy in the near future." Sergio Rosas, Class of 2009 CSRE Major with Honors, Concentration: Identity, Race, and Culture in American Education, Political Science Major
"I chose Native American Studies because I want to help the Native community in the future and I have a passion for studying indigenous issues in an academic setting. The CSRE department has given me many opportunities including support to conduct research for my senior honors thesis on racial segregation which discriminated against the Alaska Native population." Holly Miowak Stebing, Class of 2009 Native American Studies Major, History minor
"I tried several majors before deciding to major in Native American Studies. All were academically challenging and interesting, but none of those classes compared to my first NAS class sophomore year. It touched me in a way that none of my other classes had and focused on issues that I will be dedicated to for the rest of my life. Furthermore, it coincides with my extracurricular activities at Stanford, including being involved with Stanford American Indian Organization, and connected me to an amazing summer internship through the CSRE department." Wayva Waterman, Class of 2009 Native American Studies Major
"As a first-generation college student at Stanford, I have had to grapple with the fact that many of my classmates, mostly Southeast Asians and other minorities, did not enroll in college after high school. Through Asian American-related courses, I learned about the vast inequalities in this country that continue to relegate minorities such as my classmates to the margins of society. Through an Asian American political science class, I developed an interest in how Asian Americans and other minorities can use the political system to address their needs. As a result of the class, I conducted research on the increasing political clout of Hmong in Minnesota, and I am currently writing a thesis on Hmong political involvement in Minnesota and California." Yang Lor, Class of 2008 Asian American Studies Minor
"I am currently employed as a Search Quality Evaluator at Google. Asian American Studies provided an academic curriculum for me to explore my Japanese American heritage and discover a rich history of the Asian experience in America that has not been well researched or documented. AAS provided a framework for me to critically engage racial and ethnic issues while improving my research, written, and communication skills. Although Google might seem a worlds away from AAS, I can't emphasize enough how this major has helped me get to where I am today. I strongly believe that majoring in AAS will make you a unique and valued candidate for any position in your post-Stanford career." Reid Yokoyama, Class of 2008 Asian American Studies and History Major
"I am a litigation and trademark attorney for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. The Stanford Asian American Studies curriculum enabled me to learn about aspects of Asian American history and culture that I wanted to know about as a daughter of a Filipina immigrant, but such subjects were not taught in general-education history and sociology courses. In addition, the curriculum honed my writing and critical thinking skills, which made me well prepared for law school and for practicing as an attorney at an internationally renown law firm." Michelle R. Watts, Esq. Asian American Studies Major
“My experiences working with different communities across the country have been my richest experiences, and my time in academia has allowed me to process and reflect on these experiences. Ideally I will use all of my degrees to facilitate social change and racial justice. I hope to be an activist scholar and to be grounded in both theory and practice. I think this is one of the most important lessons I learned through my involvement in CCSRE—I remember that not only the faculty but my own classmates were doing exciting intellectual work that was going to have a significant impact in the community. This is something that’s always stayed with me since graduating.” Ms. Burciaga subsequently earned a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. Over the years, she has worked with numerous organizations on behalf of the Latino community in the fields of education, law, and policy, including the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin and San Juan, Texas (on the U.S.-Mexico border) and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in education at UC Irvine. Edelina Burciaga, Class of 1999, Chicana/o Studies and English majors with honors in Education