Jalyn Sloan Graduating from Major Sociology Recipient of the Spring 2023 SBS Student Success Award, given to graduates who are the first generation of university students.

Raised by her grandparents, Jaylyn is a first-generation student who graduates at age 27 after facing difficulties in earning her degree.

Sociology professor Brian Mayer, who nominated Jaylin for the award, first met her when she was a student at the SOC 397a Poverty Workshop. Mayer asked her Jailyn to complete her independent research and develop a research project related to the data collected at the Poverty Workshop.

Jailyn was the first recipient of a Tucson Poverty Project Poverty Policy Research Fellowship funded by the Garcia Family Foundation. In this role, Jailin worked with Phoenix-based non-profit legal services firm WildFire (formerly Community Action Agency).

Jailyn has created a policy brief in support of legislation aimed at easing the burden on tenants by expunging previous eviction records that have been legally settled by the tenant. By preventing previous evictions from appearing in tenant background checks during the rental application process, you can mitigate the perpetuation of poverty caused by previous evictions. Policy Proposal Passed by Arizona Legislature in Fall 2022.

In the fall of 2022, Mayer invited Jailyn to speak at the SOC 397a Poverty Workshop. Jailyn has an internship with AmeriCorps as a research support specialist supporting both poverty workshops and the Pima County Office of Community and Workforce Development in anti-poverty research and policy development.

In Spring 2023, Jaylin continues to work as a research assistant at the Poverty Workshop and is also a co-author of a white paper funded through the Error School of Management’s Making Action Possible (MAP) program.

“Ever since I entered as a transfer student in 2021, the Department of Sociology has pushed me forward,” said Jaylin. “I was able to narrow down my particular interest in the study of sociology fairly quickly to the U of A journey. It was certainly one of the first classes I took here.” , had a lot to do with SOC 397a taught by Dr. Brian Mayer.”

Jalyn continued, “During the remainder of my bachelor’s degree, I have worked with Brian on a variety of research projects on community poverty. There is no more supportive community at the University of Arizona. Graduating It’s so bittersweet!”

Jailyn is applying to law school where she hopes to apply the knowledge she learned as a sociology major to improve society and represent vulnerable groups.