Student Achievements

Graduate students at UC Santa Cruz combine outstanding research with practical community engagement and advocacy. Read about individual student successes.

Anthony Bencomo

Politics, Designated Emphasis in Latin American and Latino Studies

Anthony Bencomo is a 5th-year Ph.D. student in the Politics Department with a Designated Emphasis in Latin American and Latino Studies at UC Santa Cruz. He is currently the first Graduate Student Researcher for the Graduate Division Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Advocacy (DEIA) GSR Program, which helps graduate students develop experience in DEIA evaluation as they assist campus programs supporting historically marginalized students. He has received the Diversity Fellowship and Fund for Latino Scholarship awards from the American Political Science Association for his work researching community and city police reform efforts in California’s often-overlooked San Joaquin Valley, as well as policing in areas like Los Angeles and Oakland. Anthony hopes to understand how police reform operates in areas with a less liberal political climate.

While growing up in Fresno, several of Anthony’s family members and close friends were incarcerated at the youth and adult levels. As a result of these and other experiences, he decided to volunteer with Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos for several years, specifically on their Prison Project. This work mostly consisted of responding to letters from people who are incarcerated and in need of services or information. Working with Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos allowed Anthony to serve people like those he grew up with, and pay back their support for his career.

Anthony has also had the opportunity to participate in several Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) initiatives, chiefly with the GANAS Graduate Pathways Program as a mentor to incoming graduate students and undergraduate students as they learn about research. This has been a wonderful experience, as he worked with fantastic staff to help students of color navigate higher education.

After graduation, Anthony’s dream is to become a professor at a university within the California State University system. His years spent at these institutions were instrumental in his personal and intellectual growth, so he hopes to return to one of these institutions. When asked for anything else he would like to share, Anthony said, “I am really excited to be part of this Graduate Division Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Graduate Student Researcher program. It is a wonderful opportunity to serve my community and people like me while also continuing to grow as a researcher. Additionally, my wife and I are welcoming our first child very soon, so it should be a fantastic summer.”

RELATED