Graduate Student Experiences
 

Hear from and connect with current graduate students!

The following graduate students have volunteered to connect with you.

"Hola! My name is Erick Garcia, and I’m a second-year M.A./Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication. I stem from a background in social psychology, where I found interest in studying how media affects intergroup relations and social psychological processes. My current research particularly focuses on intergroup communication and media effects, in which I investigate online hate and its curtailment via intergroup and interpersonal social processes, working closely with my advisor, Muniba Saleem, and also with Joe Walther. Please feel free to reach out to me at eag@ucsb.edu!"

"Hello! My name is Sovannie Len and I am a third year Ph.D. student at UCSB's Department of Communication. Coming from a development and cultural psychology background, I became interested how mass media intersects with race and diversity. One project I am currently working on with my advisor, Muniba Saleem, is examining how minorities consume different forms of entertainment media (e.g. American versus Foreign) and how that affects their identity. I am also currently examining how people perceive racial diversity in entertainment media and the consequences racial diversity has for their consumption patterns. Feel free to reach out to me at sovannielen@ucsb.edu!"

"Hello! My name is Qiyao Peng, and I am a second-year PhD student in Communication. My research focuses on health communication, particularly uncovering the message effects on health-related behaviors and outcomes. I’m currently working with Dr. Jiaying Liu. I’m also engaged in investigating health misinformation dynamics, especially in the context of AI-generated content. Feel free to reach out to me at qiyaopeng@ucsb.edu!"

"Hello! My name is Margot Plunkett and I am a second year MA/Ph.D. student. After being immersed in varied workplaces, I became interested in emotions in the workplace, organizational structure, and the anticipatory socialization and assimilation process. This all drew me to work with Dr. Karen Myers, though I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate on projects with Dr. Young Ji Kim and Dr. Jenn Gibbs as well. Feel free to reach out to me at mplunkett@ucsb.edu!"

"Hello! My name is Laurent Wang, and I am a fourth-year MA/Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication. My research looks at the intersection of communication technology and digital inequality. One line of my current research aims to understand how people from different social backgrounds protect their privacy online (working with Dr. Miriam Metzger), and another line of my research focuses on causes and consequences of (lack of) reliable access to digital technology, such as the Internet (working with Dr. Amy Gonzales). Please feel free to email me with questions at hwang02@ucsb.edu."