Hobbies and interests
Surfing
Marine Biology
Conservation
Art
Painting and Studio Art
digital art
Softball
Swimming
Dance
Weightlifting
Reading
Adult Fiction
Art
Biography
Academic
Classics
Contemporary
Cookbooks
Criticism
Cultural
Environment
Thriller
Spirituality
Social Issues
Social Science
Self-Help
Scienceβ
Magical Realism
History
Philosophy
I read books daily
Alexiss Rivas
1,625
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
WinnerAlexiss Rivas
1,625
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
Hello! My name is Alexiss and I completed my B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from UC San Diego. I am currently pursuing a graduate degree in UC Irvine's Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science program, with a special focus on marine sciences. I have decided to switch paths to focus on what I feel are more pressing socioecological issues, but I am not fully abandoning my behavioral science specialty. I aim to use this unique perspective to analyze community and personal values and target actions to create sustainable behavior change.
I am an avid surfer, swimmer, and lover of oceans! I am very excited to pursue my new career path and be on the frontlines of conserving our beautiful and precious ecosystems, but in order to do that, I need help in affording tuition and (sustainable) transportation costs! I am thankful for any scholarship opportunity and look forward to helping out those with similar passions in the future.
Education
University of California-Irvine
Master's degree programMajors:
- Sustainability Studies
- Marine Sciences
- Natural Resources and Conservation, Other
University of California-San Diego
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Psychology, General
- Behavioral Sciences
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences
- Cognitive Science
Minors:
- Philosophy
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
Marine Conservation
Dream career goals:
Clinical Research Coordinator
UC San Diego Health Sciences2016 β Present8 years
Sports
Softball
Varsity2003 β 201411 years
Awards
- Alexiss Rivas Award named after myself
Research
Cognitive Science
UC San Diego Health β Lead Research Assistant/ Clinical Research Coordinator2016 β Present
Public services
Volunteering
San Diego Habitat Conservancy β VolunteerPresentVolunteering
San Diego River Park Foundation β VolunteerPresent
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
I Can Do Anything Scholarship
I am stable- mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I am an interdisciplinary scientist who uses their privilege and experience to assist others who have been environmentally and socially oppressed; my main objective is to lessen the suffering of others, and I fulfill that objective in both my work and personal life.
Ventana Ocean Conservation Scholarship
WinnerI will graduate from the UC Irvine Master of Conservation and Restoration Science program in June of 2024. My Bachelor's degree from UC San Diego is in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience, but since I was a child I had known that I wanted to study marine science. Receiving a PTSD diagnosis in my second year of undergraduate study encouraged my interest in pursuing research on neuroscience topics to better understand myself and promote my healing. During my senior year, I began to explore how I could combine my love for the ocean with this neuroscience background. It seemed highly implausible and proved to be a struggle in finding those with similar interests. I knew that I wanted my future to exist in the marine conservation world, and I was willing to find any route to get there. I finally found my answer in the field of Conservation Psychology and began to see the possibilities of merging these areas of interest. With the goal of using our understanding of the human brain to create pro-conservation behavior change, I began my pursuit of higher education. I was told by my now professor that she wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a graduate program out there for me, that I'm a pioneer in this field and it's important that it gets developed. She told me that I needed to pave the way, and after years of discouragement and loads of volunteering, I was accepted into the UCI program as a marine track student.
This past year in this Master's program has allowed me to learn about topics that I had never even realized existed in the academic field. On top of gaining a solid background in core ecological and conservation principles, as well as performing tons of marine fieldwork and species identification, I have been exposed to the world of Social Ecology and believe that my future work will target socioecological issues surrounding coastal living as well as deep-ocean political issues. The California coastline, for example, has long been a site of conflict, with social and environmental disputes shaping the land use, accessibility, and vulnerability of coastal communities for centuries. Growing up in Southern California and currently residing in San Diego, I have noticed how the coastline is home to diverse communities, including low-income and communities of color, but these minority groups often experience disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards and extreme weather events. The distribution of people and pollution is a result of both historical and contemporary social and political processes that reflect systemic inequities and power dynamics.
I will use my degree to gain a more complete understanding of current ecological and social issues and combine this knowledge with my cognitive background and socioecological interests to create effective marine conservation management programs that are easily communicable to the public.
Analyzing the policy and history of environmental laws and regulations, while gaining technical knowledge in the marine conservation field, will help me to emphasize interdisciplinary communication to contribute to an effective alliance of leaders in the conservation world. My academic history has already offered me a unique perspective in my classes and exposure to other studentsβ various backgrounds has strengthened my overall understanding of the different ways that people conceptualize the world. This integrated knowledge will help provide solutions via law and regulation, education, community management, and appeals to personal beliefs and ethics. This degree program fosters collaborative efforts that deliver cohesive answers and is essential in my continued pursuit of examining underlying social values and power dynamics that shape marine-focused environmental patterns.