Group of people smiling.


From left, Lauren Rhodes, Ashley Nieto, Sarina Karwande, Professor Roberta Lessor, Amy McKelvey, Desiree Greenhouse.

Wilkinson Sociology students and faculty attended the 86th annual meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association in Long Beach. This is the first of two essays introducing PSA members to Long Beach—a perfect location for scholars, students, and sociological practitioners to explore the 2015 theme: People, Place and Power.


“We had great sessions at PSA today and our students distinguished themselves in the AKD undergraduate roundtables and poster sessions,” said Sociology
Professor Roberta Lessor
, who attended the meeting with her students, along with
Dr. Georgiana Bostean
.

AKD Roundtable Presentations:

Amy McKelvey: “I am not like them”: Teen mom’s identity work and deviance disavowal
Desiree Greenhouse: “Can you hear me?  Do you Care?”: Sexual assault as a form of socially controlling black women
Patsornkarn (Nate) Vorapharuek: Geospatial Distribution and Characteristics of E-Cigarette Retailers:  Are Youth at Risk?

Group of people smiling.


From left, Samantha Cressey, Sarah Persau, Michaela Torrie.


AKD Poster Sessions:

Michaela Torrie:
 
The Babysitter as a Family Member of Employee?: A Unique Case of Altercasting
Sarah Persau: Antiques, Nostalgia and Connecting the Generations
Samantha Cressey: The Process of Managing Volunteers: The Ironic Importance of Helping Your Helpers

“Our students did a great job and their posters got a lot of attention,” said Professor Lessor.

Professors Lessor and Bostean attended a session on Social Factors, Health and Well Being, where they discussed their papers:

Bostean: The role of neighborhood environment in health behavior: Youth e-cigarette use in Orange County, CA
Lessor (with students Sarina Karwande, Lauren Rhodes and Ashley Nieto); Driven to Distraction: Is Distracted Driving Just Part of Distracted Living?

The mission of the Pacific Sociological Association is to advance scholarly research on all social processes and areas of social life,  promote high quality teaching of sociological knowledge and to mentor the next generation of sociologists.

We are so proud of all of you! Congratulations!