Sophia Wang, who graduates this June with a public affairs major and a geography minor, really made the most of her time at UCLA.

Earning the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship, she used her first summer of travel funding from it (with ten more to come) to study complex transportation planning at the Urban Cycling Institute in Amsterdam and to pursue a research internship in green gentrification patterns at the University of Tokyo.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, she also earned the Miller/Shigemura Scholarship and served as a UCLA Policy Fellow at LA Civil Rights, URC HASS Research Scholar and the student outreach coordinator for the UCLA Center for Scholarships and Scholar Enrichment.

What are some of your favorite memories at UCLA?

There are many, but they include:

• Founding my own research organization at UCLA, and creating and hosting the first in-person Poster Day since COVID-19.
• Chatting with professors at office hours about anything from the political issues to how her son is Steve Kerr (shoutout Professor Ann Kerr)!
• Staying up late with my friends in Night Powell, grinding for finals and grabbing a sweet treat from Westwood afterwards.

What does it mean to you to have received scholarship support from donors?

It has relieved my burdens in buying school materials, finding housing, obtaining plane tickets to go home, groceries, etc. I am eternally grateful to these donors for shaping my experience at UCLA.

When I received the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service my sophomore year for my advocacy work on campus, it opened doors for me to study abroad in Amsterdam, Paris and Tokyo. I never had the means to travel to these countries before, and that summer reaffirmed my ambitions to attend graduate school for urban planning.

I heard about this selective fellowship through the UCLA Center for Scholarships and Scholar Enrichment and encourage everyone to use their services.

Speaking of the CSSE, what makes it so special?

The people! The CSSE student affairs advisors, who are also English Ph.D. students, work individually with each and every Bruin to make sure that your story comes to light and to strengthen your case for winning scholarships. As someone who currently works at CSSE, I have seen this process firsthand and can vouch for the compassion that runs that center. We mentor students, provide them a listening ear and lead them toward the direction of scholarships!

What are your future plans?

I will be attending the University of Michigan for my master’s in urban and regional planning on a graduate student instructor scholarship, studying how we can build more equitable cities through public transit, green spaces and restorative justice.

What’s your best advice for future Bruins?

Don’t be afraid to explore and start over! Every quarter is a new chance for you to get better at a different thing, pick up a totally whack class, make a new friend or speak to a cool professor during their office hours. There are so many opportunities for you here at UCLA, but it’s up to you to seek them out.