Graduating Bruins spotlight the struggles of students who juggle classes and jobs

As a kid growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, Ritika Sarma, who was often described as an argumentative but diplomatic child, never doubted what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"My fourth-grade teacher decided to do a mock trial with our class for a month, and I remember having so much fun. After that, I didn't have a question in my head of what I wanted to be: a lawyer," Sarma said.

Last summer, Sarma, who majored in political science and took on a double minor in labor studies and global studies, enrolled in a research intensive offered through UCLA's labor studies program that investigates the struggles faced by young people who juggle school and work across Los Angeles County colleges and universities.

So did Jimmy Mancilla, a labor studies and political science double major who was struck by how many of his peers faced the same circumstances he did as a student worker. As the duo embarked on this hands-on program that spoke to their lived experiences, they took their research and developed a multimedia project that may inform and expand policy discussions to support future working college students.

"In six weeks, Labor Summer Research Program students go through all the stages of the research process: They begin with an abstract idea, design data collection tools, conduct and analyze surveys and interviews and then present findings with policy recommendations," said Lucero Herrera, the program's instructor and senior research analyst at the UCLA Labor Center. "It's really intense but very rewarding."

Since 2017, cohorts of student researchers like Sarma and Mancilla have found that "workers and learners," a term used by labor researchers to describe people who work and go to school, often balance work, academics and personal well-being - not by choice, but out of necessity, challenging the outdated stereotype that young people work to pay for leisurely activities. This year's study was based on 139 surveys and 26 in-depth interviews of mostly UCLA undergraduate student workers.

Sarma, who works as a student researcher at UCLA, initially thought her own challenges would not mirror those of her peers since her tuition was supported by her parents - Indian immigrants who received their own college degrees abroad and had to work hard to find jobs that matched their educational background in the United States.

But when she dug into the data, she saw her own experiences reflected in the findings: 63% of student workers said financial aid wasn't sufficient to cover their costs, and the financial pressure is often so intense, that 39% have to work even when they are sick.

To make ends meet, Sarma has depended on her campus job to pay for groceries, living expenses and health costs not covered by her student health plan.

Mancilla is also familiar with the pressure of holding a job while balancing academic expectations. He grew up volunteering at food banks and shelters in working-class neighborhoods across the San Fernando Valley. He began working at age 16. Now, he works as a supervisor within UCLA Housing.

He wasn't surprised to learn that 73% of students expressed the need for more flexible class attendance policies and that 50% of students said their jobs don't align with their intended career path.

"I've gone through so many instances where you're having a really bad week because of external factors where a 24-hour extension really helps," Mancilla said. "And although I work in hospitality, and that could be leveraged in law in some sort of way because you're interacting with people, it's not like I'm working at a law firm - I'm not getting those applied experiences."

The son of a mechanic and a caregiver, he came to UCLA determined to graduate early to save money, because his family was unable to provide financial support. But his plans changed when he encountered an introductory labor studies class.

"It catalyzed my love for labor, and it had such a big impact on me," he said. "I felt my problems and everything I went through growing up reflected in the stories that were being taught in those classes, the labor movements and the key labor figures."

Making applied research come alive

After completing the study last summer, Sarma and Mancilla enrolled in an independent study internship class - also taught by Herrera - to launch a multimedia website featuring data visualizations and a three-part podcast series to showcase their findings.

"It's been amazing to see how we can turn numbers on a spreadsheet into a story," Mancilla said. "One of our main goals was to weave storytelling into the data to reach a wider audience and make the data more digestible."

They hope to advance policies that will increase academic flexibility and support, institutionalize access to workers' rights information for student workers, strengthen financial support for students and find ways to match students with jobs that are more aligned with their future career prospects.

"The biggest recommendations we had for UCLA and other campuses is to standardize the model of training they have for workers and learners to include information on issues such as minimum wage, meal and rest breaks, sick time, overtime pay and other issues that are not being addressed since many students are new to the world of work," Sarma said.

Sarma hopes to pursue a legal career specializing in advancing justice during global conflicts, working at the intersection of human rights, refugee and immigration issues.

Mancilla has been focused on pursuing legal studies to rectify injustices closer to the communities in which he grew up.

"I want to become a labor attorney, that's going to be my future career - I'm set on that," Mancilla said. "I want to help low-income, Spanish-speaking communities across Los Angeles."

Herrera believes the duo will make a great impact in their communities after they graduate in June - just as their research will do at UCLA.

"They are passionate about the work that they do, and they bring love and care to the issues of working people," she said. "Their contributions will help empower other college and university students by raising awareness about their rights and encourage employers, faculty and university staff to consider what kinds of resources and support workers and learners need to thrive."

All three episodes can be found here.