Dr. Kristy Y. Shih
What fears or anxieties did you have about going to college?
Being an immigrant and a first-generation college student, I had difficulties during the first two years of my undergraduate career without anyone to guide me. I felt lost and my grades suffered. That all changed when I enrolled in Sociology of Families where the professor noticed my interests, encouraged me to pursue research, and served as a mentor overseeing my independent study project on gender inequality in Taiwanese families. This experience sparked my interest in an academic career centered on the study of gender, race, and class inequalities. It also taught me the transformative power a good teacher/mentor can have on her students, and strengthened my commitment to providing the same type of mentoring for a diverse population, especially those who are first-generation.
- Ph.D. in Sociology, UC Riverside
Be open-minded and try different things (academically and socially). Get to know your professors. Explore opportunities and get involved, whether it is doing research, participating in student organizations, or engaging in community service activities.
Movies, musicals, and social justice issues.
- iPad
- A book
- Yummy food
I worked as a computer lab help desk assistant and a technology fellow for the psychology department in college. I've also worked as a freelance web designer in college and part of graduate school.
Courses: HDEV 357: Adult Development through Aging HDEV 360: Cultural Foundations of Human Development HDEV 408: Impacts of Race and Racism on Human Development Research: My multi-site interview project examines the transnational family experiences of adult former “parachute kids” from Taiwan who immigrated to the U.S./Canada alone for educational purposes during middle to high school years. This study examines how "parachute kids" describe growing up in a foreign country without their parents, the ways in which they negotiate racial/ethnic and gender identities and inequities in a transnational context, and how transnational living arrangements affect their relationships with their aging parents and other family members. This study also explores the return migration experiences of adult former “parachute kids”: what prompted their return to their homeland, how they cope with the dramatic changes they face living and working in Taiwan, what impacts their U.S. education and experiences have on their relationship with their parents and their interaction with employers and coworkers in Taiwan, and how they maintain ties to their social networks in the U.S.
