The UC Davis Library has honored Rianna Herrera, a major in sociology, with a 2026 Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research. She placed third in the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences category for her honors thesis that explores the college experiences and aspirations of Filipina and gender-non-conforming, or GNC, Filipinx Americans.
"Though Filipinx Americans represent the third-largest group of Asian origin in the U.S., they are understudied and underrepresented in both sociological and intersectional feminist literature on educational aspirations in comparison with other racial and Asian ethnic groups," Herrera wrote in her reflective essay for the project.
Herrera conducted her original research under the guidance of her thesis advisors Kimberlee Shauman and Erin Hamilton, both professors in the Department of Sociology in the College of Letters and Science. Hererra's scope included the influence of gendered family expectations, individual ambitions, and gender and ethnic identity.
Based on what she learned in her initial literature review, Herrera developed a semi-structured interview guide and interviewed 21 Filipina and GNC Filipinx American undergrads at several California universities to uncover new insights. A class visit by librarian William Cuthbertson helped Herrera develop more effective search strategies to find literature relevant to her research question. Research at the UC Davis Library provided a foundation for this work.
"I knew I could not design a successful study without first understanding how similar qualitative studies have been carried out by prior researchers, and what findings already exist," she said.
Now in its 10th year, the Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research recognizes students who make exceptional use of library resources and services, such as primary source materials and special collections, online databases and journal articles, interlibrary loan, or consulting with a librarian.
The Lang Prize is supported by a bequest from the late UC Davis Professor Emerita of Botany Norma J. Lang, and honors her devotion to her students and love of the research process.
Learn more about the Lang Prize at the UC Davis Library website.
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