Meet Our Students

Based on faculty and instructor nominations to the Undergraduate Studies Committee, the department chooses one undergraduate major  to feature in our monthly Sociology & Criminology Rising Star. This program recognizes the extraordinary achievements, accomplishments, and activities of our undergraduate students.

Current Rising Star:

  • El.

    March 2025: El Mirabella

    Please congratulate El Mirabella, our newest Sociology & Criminology Rising Star! El was nominated for bringing critical perspectives to the classroom and to their own learning, and also because they are eager to apply what they learn in sociology courses into the community advocacy and organizing work that they do.

    When asked about their Sociology and Criminology classes, El stated: “I have enjoyed engaging in discussions and building relationships with my professors. This has made it possible to explore opportunities such as enthusiastic encouragement to pursue a PhD. Connecting with my peers as part of community building within the department has also been an important part of my experience"

    Congratulations El, and thanks for all of your great work!

Previous Rising Stars

  • May 2015: Zoe Bandes
    7/3/24
    Originally an occupational therapy major, Zoe decided to switch to Sociology because she enjoyed the challenge of learning to think critically about structural forces and the world around us. She says, “When I switched to sociology, I felt a world of difference in my level of interest and engagement for all of my classes.”
  • April 2015: Emily Schmid
    7/3/24
    Emily is a pre-med student whose experience in Medical Sociology led her to declare sociology as a major. She says, “I fell in love with the class realizing how useful the information I gained could be in my practice.” She says she switched her major from biology to sociology the day after she learned about the Department’s specialization in Health & Society.
  • March 2015: Olivia Frank
    7/3/24
    A junior, Olivia switched her major after her first sociology course. “I found myself glued to the substantive topics,” and says she spent a lot of time “discussing sociological ideas with my classmates outside of class and calling my family to tell them what I had learned in class that week.”
  • February 2015: Sarah Hussain
    7/3/24
    Sarah is working on an honors thesis related to medical sociology. She is passionate about understanding health inequalities and health disparities. Her research explores the perceptions of people from different sociodemographic backgrounds about several hot-button health issues, including prescription drug advertising and health care reform.
  • December 2014: Brandon Noga
    7/3/24
    Brandon is a recent transfer student to UB, and says that sociology is a “perfect fit” for him. He became a sociology major to help him “pursue a career that will allow me to interact with others, and help influence positive change” on the world around him.
  • November 2014: Alexandra Fuerch
    7/3/24
    Originally an accounting major, Alexandra switched to sociology to lay the foundation for a graduate degree in higher education. She hopes to help students further their education, be successful, and pursue their goals in life. She says that she loves how her Sociology classes relate to her everyday life: “I feel that I am not only learning information, but I am using that information,” she says. “I can use what I learn to better myself as a person and understand the world around me.”
  • October 2014: Emma Frieh
    7/3/24
    Emma participated in the first “Study Away” Sociology program in New York City this summer! She described the experience as “unforgettable,” saying, “I saw the city from a completely different perspective compared to that of a tourist and learned to see the connection between urban space, gentrification, and inequality that I now see as extremely relevant to phenomena occurring in Buffalo as well.”