Engaged Research

COPC Community Scholars

2007-08 Scholars

Gaby Abdel-Salam
Joshua R. Carrillo
Christy Diecker
Roberto Gonzalez
Sara Kirker
Adonia Lugo
Dana Nakano
Anaid Yerena Rascon
Linzie Wood

Gaby Abdel-Salam

Project Title:
The Self-Sufficiency Calculator: Redefining the "Standard of Living" Measure

Client:
United Way of Orange County

Bio:
After receiving her undergraduate degree in Economics at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, Gaby Abdel-Salam immigrated to the United States with her husband who was then completing his doctoral degree in Civil Engineering at UCI. Gaby then worked seven years at an environmental oil recycling company before deciding to pursue her Masters degree in planning at UCI. Her interests in the planning field include: economic development, land use and impacts on transportation and the environment, and strategic planning. She is currently interning with Orange County United Way and completing a program evaluation on the Self-Sufficiency Calculator that could assist low-income families move towards self-sufficiency and non-reliant on public subsidies.

Joshua R. Carrillo

Project Title:
A System's Approach to Equity: A Proposal to Increase Transit Ridership Among the Poor in Los Angeles

Client:
Bus Rider's Union of Los Angeles

Bio:
I obtained my Bachelor's of Science degree from Northeastern University in Boston in Political Science, with a minor in Business. I held multiple internships while enrolled as an undergraduate, all of which played a pivotal role in me choosing the field of urban and regional planning for my graduate studies. As a legislative research assistant for the Boston City Council I worked on planning issues in three of Boston's most historic and cultural neighborhoods, including Little Italy. I also interned at the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, a non-governmental organization focused primarily on local budgetary issues. As an urban planner, my main area of interests are urban and community design, and, public transportation planning.

Christy Diecker

Project Title:
Poverty Alleviation Advocacy: Faith-Based Strategies and Approaches

Client:
Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO)

Bio:
I grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri and received my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Kansas State University. I moved to California last September to study urban and regional planning at UCI. My interest in working with communities stemmed from the time I spent studying in Europe and traveling in Asia and Africa. My main areas of interest include social equity, affordable housing policy, and sustainable solutions to urban growth.

Roberto Gonzalez

Project Title:
Disruptive Forces: The Impact of ICE Raids on Community Cohesion in Orange County

Client:
Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO)

Bio:
Roberto Gonzalez, Jr. received his Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning, and Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego (UCSD). The interdisciplinary studies he undertook at UCSD focused on planning in Latino enclaves and peripheral San Diegan Indian Reservations. His particular interests include examining linkages between urban geography and planning. His Professional Report involves examining how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) practices are impacting community cohesion in South Orange County communities, and identifying strategies to minimize such effects.

Sara Kirker

Project Title:
Green Practices, Green Jobs: Business Perspectives on the Laguna Beach Climate

Client:
City of Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce

Bio:
Sara Kirker was born and raised in Paauilo, Hawaii, and is a first-year student in the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning Program here at UCI. She is interested in sustainable community development and workforce development, and has an M.A. in Comparative Literature, also from UCI. Currently, she is a financial officer for a labor union here in California. She hopes to be able to use the skills she learns in the Community Scholars Program to help her grow as a community activist and organizer.

Adonia Lugo

Project Title:
Traversing LA: Bicycle Outreach in Los Angeles

Client:
Los Angles County Bicycle Coalition

Bio:
Adonia Lugo holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Reed College, and studies sustainable transportation in Southern California. Though the Southern Californian landscape has long been dominated by automobile traffic, more people are choosing to use public transit and bicycles for commuting and other mobility needs. Adonia is exploring the boundaries between anthropology and activism as she works to understand and shift the paradigms of mobility in this region.

Dana Nakano

Project Title:
The Social Demography of Japanese American's in California: Developing a Generational Profile

Client:
Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Los Angeles

Bio:
For his Community Scholars project, Dana Nakano works with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles on a demographic analysis of the Japanese American population in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The project is part of a large needs-assessment project being undertaken by the California Japanese American Community Leadership Council. Dana's other research looks at the various ways politics, social movement, and assimilation processes intersect with issues of race and ethnicity. Currently he is working on two projects. One focuses on the shifted conceptualization of panethnic identity in Asian American social movement organizations. The second deals with the use of narrative in forming and maintaining boundaries within the Japanese American ethnic community.

Anaid Yerena Rascon

Project Title:
Location, Location, Location: Identifying Affordable Housing Sites for the Extremely Low-Income

Client:
Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation Research Study

Bio:
My area of concentration within the field of planning is community development. I am specifically interested in public participation processes activities that are tied to housing and community development efforts. My professional experiences as an architect have supported and strengthened these interests, as have the numerous analytical courses I have taken during my tenure as a graduate student in UCI’s Department of Planning, Policy and Design. Perhaps the best example of my previous research activities with a strong community-based component is my participation as a project leader in the development of a Master Plan for the City of Montemorelos, Mexico. In addition to working on the technical aspects of the Plan, our project team completed a series of interviews with residents to better understand the concerns about the City and their thoughts on the potential resolution of these concerns. These interviews were vital to the research, contributing to the completion of the Master Plan building support for the planning authorities charged with the Plan’s implementation

Linzie Wood

Project Title:
Affordable Ownership Housing in the OC: An Action Proposal

Client:
Neighborhood Housing Services of Orange County,

Bio:
Linzie Wood completed her undergraduate degree in Global Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her interests in planning include housing and community development.