Willa Needham | June 12, 2025

UCLA Labor Studies is proud to introduce Carolina Sarabia Garcia, one of our 2025 commencement speakers. Carolina is graduating with a double major in labor studies and Chicano studies, as well as a double minor in education studies and community engagement and social change. She also works in the UCLA Labor Studies Program as a student services assistant. Before Labor Studies Commencement this Saturday, June 14, Carolina shared her reflections on her educational journey and future plans. 

Throughout her upbringing in the Inland Empire, Carolina was strongly encouraged to pursue her education by her parents and two older sisters. Her family supported her success as a student; she recalls late nights working on science fair projects with her mother and carefully planning her AP coursework with the help of her sisters. Carolina participated in a rigorous college preparatory program and was thrilled when her dedication to her academics paid off with her acceptance into UCLA. 

Carolina entered UCLA as a pre-business economics major, but she soon realized the program would not fully engage her passion for social justice or her lived experiences as a first-generation Latina. After browsing the list of majors and minors on the UCLA website, Carolina felt drawn to labor studies. She decided to declare it as a minor and enrolled in the 101 course, “Introduction to Labor and Social Movements in Los Angeles.” 

Her introductory coursework hit close to home, literally, one day when Professor Caroline Luce gave a lecture on labor in the Inland Empire. Studying her community made Carolina feel empowered and energized. For her final project, she interviewed and wrote a paper about the work and immigration story of one of her biggest inspirations, her father. 

“That was very touching to me, just being able to include my parents–and not only have them included, but their story included in my academics. Because if you think about it, it’s not common for classes or majors to let you bring that kind of personal aspect into your coursework,” she said.  

By her second year at UCLA, Carolina followed her interests and switched her major to labor studies–after consulting with her sisters, of course. Soon after, she applied to be a student services assistant in the UCLA Labor Studies Program and was offered the job the same day as her interview. 

Gloria Chan, Labor Studies’ Student Affairs Officer, highlights Carolina’s enthusiasm and ambition as a member of the team: “As her supervisor, I have had the opportunity to observe her being proactive and create projects to attract new students and promote the Labor Studies undergraduate programs.” 

Chan elaborates, “Carolina is passionate about giving back to the community and creating pathways to higher education for first-generation students. For example, she organized and led a UCLA campus tour and student panel (both in Spanish and English) in collaboration with Building Skills Partnership (BSP) for Los Angeles Unified School District students and parents.”

Carolina’s dedication to community engagement is apparent in the coursework she completed. Through Labor Studies’ unique 195B internship program, Carolina gained experience developing and teaching labor education curriculum with the Young Workers’ Education Project. She also got an inside look at the intricacies of union organizing as an intern with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. For her final project at the LA Fed, Carolina produced a zine documenting strikes and protests she attended as a part of her internship. 

Another highlight of Carolina’s student achievements is when she was selected to present her work in Labor Studies 182: “Oral History and Social Change” at the Southwest Oral History Association Conference. On a panel of her peers, Carolina shared the insights she gained documenting the story of Karely Amaya Rios, a recent undocumented first-generation UCLA graduate and lead organizer of the Opportunity for All Campaign. 

Carolina hopes to apply the skills she built in education and administration during her time in the Labor Studies Program to her future graduate studies and career. For now, though, Carolina is using commencement as an opportunity to pause and appreciate her achievements. 

“It’s so easy to get caught up in comparison culture, and constantly be seeking your next move without actually taking a break and taking a step back to recognize what you have accomplished thus far,” she reflected. 

To her fellow graduates, Carolina assures: “It’s always one step at a time. And, truly, it’s okay to not know exactly what’s next…to not have your whole life planned out hour by hour, week by week, month by month. Because it all falls into place somehow. It always does.”