Student Spotlight: Julia Jensen

Julia is nominated by Dr. Kristy Shih, who states, “Julia transferred to CSULB in Fall 2020 and has quickly distinguished herself as an outstanding student. She started out as a student in the HDEV Transfer Learning Community (TLC) and in Fall 2021 served as an Instructional Student Assistant (ISA) and peer mentor for Dr. Shih’s  HDEV 357 TLC section. Julia stood out as someone who participated enthusiastically in class discussions and asked critical questions. She is also very resourceful; often searching for and sharing documents and websites to supplement class discussion during zoom meetings. Julia was accepted into the University Honors Program in Fall 2021 and is currently conducting an in-depth qualitative interview project for her Honors thesis. Her research will explore the processes that individuals undertake when they go through religious and/or political ideological change: what prompted that change and how did it impact their well-being and relationships prior to, during, and after such change. This research will also explore structural and environmental factors that contribute to why individuals change their religious and/or political ideologies as well as how such changes in belief are shaped by and may continue to influence their relationships with their parents and siblings. Julia is among the 34 students who recently received a 2022 CSULB Summer Student Research Assistantship Award.”