Shapiro Family Scholarship

DISABILITY STUDIES FALL SCHOLARSHIPS

THE SHAPIRO FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP (download pdf)

Award Amount: $7,350 (one award or split into two awards)

Eligibility Criteria:
Recipients of the Disability Studies Shapiro Scholarship are selected based on (1) strong academic achievement, (2) commitment to the field of disability studies, and (3) to working as an advocate on issues of importance to the disability community. To be eligible for the scholarships, students must have:

1. 1. 1. A 3.0 cumulative GPA;
      2. Admittance to the UCLA Disability Studies minor or major*;
      3. Completed or currently enrolled in Disability Studies 101W and;
      4. Completed or currently enrolled in at least one elective course for the minor.

Application instructions:
1. In a single PDF document, include the following two items:

• An essay that highlights the advocacy work you have undertaken with and/or for the disability
  community, such as projects, initiatives, policy work, or leadership roles, and the impact of that
  work. Discuss how this advocacy connects to your academic path in Disability Studies, and how you envision applying these experiences to your undergraduate (e.g., internship, capstone research plans) and post-graduate goals.
  • Essay must not exceed 500 words (2 double-spaced pages)
• A current resume

Save the PDF in the following format:

• LastName_FirstName_Application.pdf
• Ex: Frenk_Julio_Application.pdf

2. Obtain a copy of your unofficial transcript and save it in the following format:

• LastName_FirstName_Transcript.pdf
• Ex. Frenk_Julio_Transcript.pdf

Email both files to the Disability Studies Fall Scholarship Committee*. Your application materials will be automatically uploaded to a drive once they are received.

Confirmation email:

You will receive a confirmation email for each file when your application materials have been successfully uploaded. Important: If you do not receive a confirmation email or if you are having issues uploading your application, please send application materials to Nicole Chavez at nchavez@college.ucla.edu.

*Your application materials should be sent directly to the committee via the following email address: Fall_20.fx1yja0wxy545ba1@u.box.com

Application Deadline: Monday, October 27, 2025, at 11:59pm

If selected as a scholarship recipient, your accomplishment will be announced via email to the disability studies community, including the Shapiro family, faculty, and staff. Nicole Chavez will be in touch to confirm pronouns and announcement details prior to it being shared. Please let her know if there is anything that was shared in the scholarship application that should remain confidential.

*Note to Non-DS Minors/Majors: Students who are not yet admitted to the minor may submit their application to the minor or major at the same time as their application for the scholarship—but their scholarship application will only be reviewed AFTER admission to the minor is confirmed.

PROFILES OF 2025 STUDENT WINNERS

Thanks to the generous support of the Shapiro Charitable Family Foundation, UCLA Disability Studies is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Fall Disability Studies Scholarships.

The Shapiro Family Scholarship  aims to celebrate the strides made by our students, who have been agents of change on this campus and beyond. The winners of the 2025 Shapiro Family Scholarship, Isabel Rubin-Saika and Roxas Haze, will each receive a scholarship award of $3,675. Isabel and Roxas rose to the top of a competitive applicant pool through the connections they drew between disability studies scholarship, their goals, and advocacy efforts. Elijah Bautista is recognized with an Honorable Mention.

Isabel Rubin-Saika

Isabel Rubin-Saika is a fourth-year student majoring in Architectural Studies with minors in Disability Studies, Geography, and Urban and Regional Studies. She is passionate about accessible design, inclusive living, and spatial equity that uses innovative design solutions. Isabel was previously an intern for Premiere Living Services, a temp agency for adults with intellectual disabilities that provides inclusive staffing solutions that empower individuals with disabilities to thrive in the workplace. She helped raise awareness for disability diversity in the workplace and did outreach to potential employment partners. Her current research explores the relationship between the experiences of blind / low-vision individuals and practices of accessible design in art museums. She addresses ableist stigma by opening perspectives to life beyond the sighted world. Isabel is currently an Undergraduate Research Fellow for cityLAB UCLA. She intends to continue her education through a Master’s of Architecture program, where she can continue design work through an accessibility lens.

Roxas Haze

Roxas Haze is a fourth-year Disability Studies major. As a queer, neurodivergent, and disabled person, they are passionate about disability justice, deinstitutionalization, accessibility, and ending cases of abusive conservatorships/guardianships. Roxas is currently a Law Fellow through Loyola Marymount University’s Coelho Law Center for Disability, Law, and Policy. Roxas is also presently a coordinator and signatory for the Disabled Student Union, and serves as the Campus Advisory Board representative on the club’s behalf.  Through the DSU, Roxas advocates for increased accessibility on the UCLA campus for disabled students through Center for Accessible Education and BruinAccess reform and the establishment of the Lily Shaw Disability Cultural Center on campus. They are hoping to obtain a dual degree in Law and a Master’s of Social Welfare, so that they can become a disability rights attorney and therapist for neurodivergent, disabled, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Honorable Mention – Elijah Bautista

Elijah Bautista is a fourth-year Psychology major and Disability Studies minor. He is dedicated to advancing equitable mental health care for underrepresented racial/ethnic groups and neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with ADHD. He previously served as a CDC Lewis Scholar at the UC Davis MIND Institute, where he examined disparities in ADHD identification within the AANHPI community. He is currently a research assistant at the Culture and Race/Ethnicity (CARE) in Youth Mental Health Lab, addressing racial and ethnic disparities in access to care, and the Loo Laboratory, where he researches the effectiveness of trigeminal nerve stimulation, a non-invasive neuromodulation treatment for ADHD. He also interns with 5-Eleven Hoops, a nonprofit dedicated to coaching sports and life skills to neurodivergent individuals. Beyond research, He serves as co-President of All Brains at UCLA, working to build a more inclusive campus for neurodivergent students through mentoring, advocacy, and education. Elijah plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to uplift these marginalized communities.

Riley Masterson – 2024 Major: Public Affairs and Economics

Tara Lam – 2024 – Honorable Mention Major: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Arezo Ahmadi – 2023 Major: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Rachel Rothschild – 2023 Major: Human Biology and Society

Adam Kipust – 2023 – Honorable Mention Major: Psychobiology

Vinita Saxena – 2022 Major: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Desiree Eshraghi – 2022 – Honorable Mention Major: Pre-psychobiology

Cheri Sledge – 2022 – Honorable Mention Major: Musicology

Katherine Chow – 2021 Major: Human Biology and Society

Rowan O’Bryan – 2021 Major: Fine Arts

Isabella Poschl – 2021 Major: Neuroscience

Quinn O’Connor – 2020 Major: Theater

Nicole Jacobs – 2020 Major: Physiological Sciences

Juliette Lerner – 2020 Major: Psychology

Lily Shaw – 2019 Major: Political Science

Isita Tripati – 2019 Major: Neuroscience