News Details:


6/2/2009 Graduation 2009
Office: Cognitive Sciences
Details: When soon-to-be alumnus Christina Tajalli reflects back on her fondest UCI memory, it sounds like a scene out of High School Musical. The outgoing psychology major and eight year veteran of Model United Nations was helping to lead the group's annual high school conference. Amidst the second day of international debates and policy discussions, a break in the program left her unexpectedly in charge of entertaining and keeping in line the more than 800 high school students in attendance. Thinking on the fly, she challenged each school to get creative and started a dance-off in the middle of Social Sciences Plaza.  
 
The idea stuck and has since become an unofficial tradition of the high school conference, providing participants a break from the heady global issues and human rights-focused debates that are the core of the program.  
 
"Being involved with MUN has been one of my primary passions both as a high school student and as an undergraduate at UCI," Christina says. "It was extremely influential in providing me an opportunity to hone my public speaking and debate skills in a fun, social environment. It also gave me and the countless others involved a chance to learn and talk about issues many young people don't normally talk about."  
 
As a Huntington Beach high school student, the program exposed her to the role non-governmental organizations play in addressing global issues, sparking an interest that ultimately led her to the School of Social Sciences at UCI.  
 
"Social science and psychology in particular have helped me understand the basics of why we as humans do what we do. My goal is to use that knowledge to help advocate for others."  
 
Her research through UCI's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP) pushed her a step further in that direction as she focused on children's rights, specifically those of child soldiers.  
 
"There are conflicts happening all over the world in which children get caught in the fighting. I wanted to learn what factors influence children to become soldiers, which efforts have been successful or have failed in the rehabilitation of child soldiers, and how future policies and treaties can better address the issue," she says.  
 
Her passion for the topic, says Caesar Sereseres, social sciences associate dean and mentor to Christina, was evident from the get go.  
 
 
"As an undergraduate, Christina completed high quality, in-depth research on 'children at war' in Africa. Her results are a superb study of one of the most problematic and sad conditions facing the international community today," he says.  
 
For the last year, she has had the opportunity to apply what she learned as a student task force intern with Human Rights Watch, an international NGO with an office in Los Angeles. A highlight of her work there, she says, was being able to help bring in a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo who spoke with Los Angeles high school students about her experiences.  
 
"For years I've read countless reports, debated the issue in several conferences, and educated students on the issue. Facilitating her visit was the apex of my internship experience and further boosted my passion for child soldier advocacy. To see that the issue isn't just about harrowing statistics, but instead a global situation filled with hope encouraged me to continue my research and advocacy efforts," says Christina.  
 
When she graduates, Christina will intern in Washington, D.C. with the American Bar Association and InterAction, a coalition of U.S.-based international NGOs focused on helping the poor. The opportunities and her further plans for a career as an international human rights lawyer, she says, will allow her to continue pursuing her passion as a human rights advocate.  
 
"I'm thankful for my experiences at UCI and the mentorship I received as they were all influential in helping to steer me in a direction where my hard work and passion can affect the greater good."