Events
2019-2020 Events
Spring 2020 Events
Please check at a later date for upcoming events.
Past Events
Spring 2020 Events
Thursday, May 21st, 2020 10:00 - 11:30 am | 15th Annual Breakfast of Champions Recognition Ceremony
Location: Online through Vimeo
Click for more Event information The 15th Annual Breakfast of Champions awards recognition event celebrates our honorable mentions, finalists, and winners of the prestigious scholarships we work with. These include, but are not limited to, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Donald A. Strauss Scholarship, and National Science Foundation. This year, pre-recorded speeches and remarks from our annual recognition ceremony will take place virtually via Vimeo. We look forward to your attendance and honoring the many UCI Scholarship winners, finalists, and supporters! This event is by invitation only. Please check your emails if you were a participating candidate in the 2019-2020 scholarship application process. Hosted by: Scholarship Opportunities Program
Monday, May 4th, 2020 2:00 - 3:00 pm | Sharpen Your C.V. Part 2: Goal-Setting and Metrics of Leadership Workshop
Location: Online through Zoom (register here).
Click for more Workshop information Learn how to use your own Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) to identify opportunities to build incrementally upon past experiences, set realistic future goals, measure your progress and skills development, and persuasively articulate your own unique professional path to scholarship reviewers. Current scholarship candidates are encouraged to attend. We look forward to having you with us on Zoom! Please make sure to bring a draft of your Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) and download our Action Plan Worksheet prior to attending. You do not need to complete the worksheet form in advance. We will provide some examples of strategies for completing the form. Hosted by: Brendan Park and Courtney Santos, our Scholarship Advisors and Writing Specialists. Register here to enter the Zoom meeting at the time of the event.
Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 12:00 pm | Sharpen Your C.V. Part 2: C.V. Peer Review Session
Location: Online through Zoom (register here).
Click for more Workshop information This peer review session will be facilitated by our Lead Student Advisor, Darren de Leon. In this review session, you will share your C.V. with other peers in the 2020 advising cohort to talk about how to improve your C.V. for graduate school and future professional opportunities. Hosted by: Darren de Leon, Lead Student Advisor, SOP Register here to enter the Zoom meeting at the time of the event.
Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 2:00 - 3:00 pm | Fulbright Information Session
Location: Online through Zoom (register here).
Click for more Event Information The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed student and research projects or English Teaching Assistantships. This informational workshop aims to demystify the scholarship by learning about what specifically separates the Fulbright from being a study-abroad experience. You will learn about: what makes and breaks a Fulbright application, what makes a Fulbright Student application competitive, and other crucial information. Highly recommended for any junior/senior undergraduate interested in completing activities abroad. Hosted by: Darren de Leon, Lead Student Advisor, SOP Register here to enter the Zoom meeting at the time of the event.
Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 4:00 - 5:00 pm | National Science Foundation Scholarship Information Session
Location: Online via Zoom (register here).
Click for more Event Information Please come to learn more about one of the Big 10 SOP Scholarships: the National Science Foundation Scholarship (NSF). NSF provides three years of support for individuals who show the potential for research achievement in graduate school. Our own Student Advisor Yvette has recently applied for the NSF scholarship and will be discussing her application experience with the Scholarship Opportunities Program (SOP) including application contents, tips/advice and benefits of applying for NSF. Register here to enter the Zoom meeting at the time of the event.
Wednesday, April 8th, 2020 12:00 - 1:00 pm | Knight-Hennessy Scholars Information Session
Location: Online (RSVP here.)
Click for more Workshop Information Please join us to learn more about the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford University. Each Knight-Hennessy Scholar will receive full financial support to pursue a degree in any graduate program at Stanford - from PhDs in education, engineering, humanities, and sciences to arts degrees like DMA or MFA to professional degrees like JD, MBA, or MD. The event will include a presentation covering Stanford University, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, and the admission process. There will be ample opportunity to ask questions of an Admission Officer. To learn more and attend the upcoming information session, please click the RSVP link here.
Tuesday, April 7th, 2020 12:30 - 1:30 pm | Schwarzman Scholars Information Session
Location: Online (RSVP here.)
Click for more Workshop Information The Schwarzman Scholars program is an internationally-competitive, fully-funded Master’s Degree Program in Global Affairs, at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The program is taught in English (no Mandarin experience is needed). Schwarzman Scholars is aimed at increasing international cooperation and developing future leaders in United States–China relationships. More information about Schwarzman Scholars is available on our website. To learn more and attend the upcoming information session, please click the RSVP link here. You may also be interested in additional Schwarzman Scholars Featured Spotlight panel events about the student experience, career development, alumni community and more!
Winter 2020 Events
February 4-26th | Prestigious Scholarship Workshops
Location: See Calendar for the multiple workshops locations
Click for more Workshop Information Our annual scholarship workshops will acquaint you with SOP’s nationally-competitive awards and provide you with practical information and tips. In our workshops, we’ll talk about writing a compelling personal statement, obtaining strong letters of recommendation, mastering the application process, common attributes of winners, and accessing helpful resources. This annual scholarship outreach event series includes themes center on: No RSVP is necessary, and these workshops are open to all majors. Most of the presentation content will overlap, so if you can’t attend the workshop geared toward your major or intended career, please attend one of the others. If you are not able to attend any of the listed workshops, please visit our website at scholars.uci.edu for guidance on booking a personalized advising appointment with SOP staff. Note: Most of our supported scholarships fund graduate study, while only two of them directly fund professional schools such as medical or law school. However, winning one of these two awards strongly positions you to be a successful candidate to professional school. SOP supports only a few awards that fund undergraduate study, so students seeking immediate financial assistance should not attend this workshop but should instead contact UCI’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Thursday, February 27th, 5:00pm– 6:00pm | Great Debates Workshop: The Power and Limits of Social Media Platforms as Drivers of Debate: ‘Calling Out Cancel Culture in Tickets'
Location: Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication, 193 Science Library, First Floor
Presenter: Brendan Park, Writing Specialist, Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication
Click for more Workshop Information In this workshop, we will talk about our own, and Barack Obama’s, ideas about ‘call out culture,’ and we will use these ideas as an entry-point into a larger discussion about differing ways in which we argue about the same controversial topics and values depending on the ‘platform’ through which we enter the debate: social media or academia.Brendan Park, Writing Specialist, Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication Pizza and light refreshments will be served following the workshop. If you are interested, please RSVP here.
Monday, March 2nd 5:00pm - 6:00pm | Pre-Application Workshop
Location: Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication, 193 Science Library, First Floor
Click for more Workshop Information SOP is hosting a Pre-Application Workshop for juniors and seniors interested in our abroad and domestic graduate scholarships. During this workshop, we will provide information on how to fill out the Pre-Application, develop strategies, and give tips for becoming a competitive applicant. If you are interested in learning more about the Pre-Application process, please RSVP here.
Thursday, March 12th 3:30pm - 5:00pm | Rhodes Scholarship Information Session for Students
Location: Online Seminar Via Zoom
Guest Presenter: Fagan Harris, Assistant American Secretary for the Rhodes Trust
Click for more Event Information The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and one of the most prestigious international fellowships in the world. Each year, we select outstanding students to attend the University of Oxford in England for two to four years of post-graduate study. During our open sessions, please feel free to bring all your questions concerning our scholarship program, Rhodes selection criteria, your inquiries regarding life at Oxford, and what it means to be a Rhodes Scholar. Please RSVP on EventBrite. RSVP-ing for the event will provide you the link to register for the Zoom Seminar.
Fall 2019 Events
Friday, October 11th, 2019, 12:00 pm | Study in the U.K. Information Session with guest presenter Sara Jamieson, University of Warkwick
Location: Antrepreneur Center
Flyer can be found here.
Click for more Event Information
This special event is highly recommended for students seeking to obtain a 1-year Masters degree and for prospective PhD students interested in the UK research environment. This is also a strong opportunity to connect with a Russell Group university representative who will offer insight on types of institutions, courses, admissions processes, student support, work opportunities, fees, and general living information.
About the presenter:
The University of Warwick’s Regional Officer, Sarah Jamieson, previously worked as a Higher Education Policy Adviser at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Prior to that, Sarah spent 7 years supporting international applicants to the University of Reading and the University of East Anglia.
About the University of Warwick:
The 2014 Research Excellence Framework placed Warwick 7th among UK research universities, meaning students learn alongside academics at the cusp of new thinking. In 2016/17 Warwick awarded approx. £33-34 million in postgraduate funding, helping outstanding students to succeed.
Thursday, October 17th, 2019, 5:00 pm |Great Debates Workshop: “Do Wake the Neighbors: Navigating the Town Hall,” presented by Courtney Santos
Location: Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication, 193 Science Library, First Floor
For more information about this event, please click here.
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019, 10:00am - 3:00 pm | Visit the SOP Booth at the Go Abroad Fair
Location: Ring Road, near Student Center
For more information about this event, please visit the Study Abroad website here.
Tuesday, October 22nd , 2019, 4:00 pm |Big 7 Scholars Panel featuring Gregoria Barazandeh, Margaret Farrell, Woojin "Janet" Song
Location: Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication, 193 Science Library, First Floor
Flyer can be found here.
Click for more Event Information
The UCI Scholarship Opportunities Program (SOP) is pleased to host a panel event that brings together UCI faculty to talk about their experiences as prestigious scholarships winners.
This uniquely beneficial event will give students the opportunity to engage one-on-one with the faculty panelists as they share their stories and answer questions about how their prestigious scholarship wins have impacted their careers from both a short- and long-term perspective.
Light refreshments will be served.
The guest scholars for this event include:
- Gregoria Barazandeh
- Gregoria, a UCI summa cum laude alumna, has long been committed to promoting students’ academic and future successes—including helping them strive to stand out in the crowd of new graduates by applying for prestigious scholarships, participating in the Capital Internship Program, becoming campus leaders, and engaging in research. During her years at UCI, Gregoria took on a great deal of responsibilities and leadership roles in campus, local, national, and international activities. She was also awarded numerous research grants, prestigious scholarships, honors, and awards, including a Rotary International Scholarship, the Donald A. Strauss Scholarship, the President’s Washington Scholarship, the Coalition of Higher Education Scholarship, and the ASUCI Outstanding Student Scholarship, to name a few. Gregoria is also a Harry S. Truman Scholarship Finalist, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was on the Chancellor’s List. She also served as a member of the highly competitive UC Maclise Intercampus Student Think Tank, designed to assist in developing student life programs for the UC Merced campus. Gregoria holds bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Political Science and a master’s degree in Social Sciences. She is currently an Undergraduate Research Advisor at UCI.
- Margaret Farrell
- Margaret Farrell is a PhD student in the Department of Logic & Philosophy of Science. Her research area is the history and philosophy of biology. She applied for the Beinecke Scholarship in 2017, during her junior year at the University of Pittsburgh.
- Woojin "Janet" Song
- Janet is a junior majoring in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Janet won the Strauss Scholarship for her project implementing the Youth Participatory Action Research model to guide a team of Oakland’s high school juniors and seniors in researching the ways digital inequality has impacted their communities.
Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, 4:00 pm | Phi Beta Kappa Fall Welcome Social
Location: Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication, 193 Science Library, First Floor
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This event presents all PBK members the opportunity to come join recent 2019 Junior Phi Beta Kappa inductees for an hour of fellowship at our Fall Welcome Social Networking 'Meet-Up', with food & drink provided by our caterer who serves the Hollywood elite! The event offers a chance to network and connect in the spirit of Phi Beta Kappa's founding principles with an emphasis on friendship and academic fellowship.
This ‘meet-up’ will kick off the new academic year on an exciting note with Get Acquainted Bingo, Mensa Logic Puzzle Solving, and a PBK Trivia competition as well as give you a “first look” at the ideas for learning activities and social events during the 19-20 academic year!
Come see what special learning experiences the PBK office will be offering as a result of the recommendations made in your recent survey responses.
We encourage PBK faculty members to join us in supporting these new PBK students in their Senior year of UCI academic life.
Thursday, November 7th, 2019, 4:00 pm | FulBright Ambassador Presentation
Location: 3201 Natural Sciences II
Click for more Event Information
Please click here for Event flyer
This event will allow UCI students to hear about the experiences of a Fulbright recipient and glean important insights about the opportunities the Fulbright program offers. Tal Wammen, a Fulbright recipient and current rocket propulsion test engineer at NASA, will speak about his experiences applying and pursuing his research project in Belgium.
Light refreshments will be provided.
About Fulbright: The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. cultural exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advance research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
Tal Wammen's Biography: Mr. Tal Wammen performed research in aerodynamics through the Fulbright research grant at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics in Belgium. Driven by his passion for aviation, Wammen became a licensed pilot and is currently a rocket propulsion test engineer at NASA.