Leia Yen wants to better understand how technology affects cultures and societies. Her research will take her to London this fall, but it's an academic journey that began at El Camino College. An El Camino alumna, Yen is proud to be UCLA's first transfer student to receive the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. As one of 46 college students from across the country selected for the annual award, she hopes her success will now encourage other transfer students to apply for the Marshall Scholarship, while pursuing additional opportunities to learn and grow.
"I am thankful for all the opportunities I had at UCLA and El Camino College," said Yen, a Torrance native who transferred to UCLA after graduating in 2017 from El Camino, where she was a Presidential Scholar. "Starting at a community college gave me the space to explore my interests and helped me see the value of interdisciplinary education. At El Camino, I was able to try new things and take different classes on literature in addition to STEM classes. I appreciate that El Camino College faculty, especially my English professors, encouraged me to keep learning and growing."
Yen graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in English. She also earned minors in digital humanities and global studies at UCLA, which led to her award-winning senior thesis on digital storytelling projects of the Syrian refugee crisis. Her focus on digital humanities is designed to support those who build technology that brings people together. She has since presented her research in conferences and public forums that focus on interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and international approaches to technological research.
Yen will continue this work at King's College London in the fall, where she will pursue a master's degree in digital humanities and digital culture and society. The Marshall Scholarship covers two years of graduate study at any university in the United Kingdom. Her research will focus on the use of computational tools and technologies and how they impact users and the community.
After completing her master's degree, Yen plans to return to the U.S. to continue her research in a doctorate program. She would like to eventually teach and develop digital humanities education to increase accessibility for historically underrepresented and underserved students. Yen's interest in communications grew at El Camino, where she was a nationally ranked competitor in speech and debate for the powerhouse forensics team. After graduation, she stayed with the team as a coach after she transferred to UCLA.
Yen continues to mentor and develop resources for UCLA's transfer center. She was an ambassador for the first College Signing Day on the west coast for Michelle Obama's Reach Higher Initiative and was the first transfer student speaker at the 2019 "This is Bruin Life" welcome event. She is also working to establish "Warriors to Bruins," a group of ECC alumni that will work with Bruins of the South Bay to help El Camino students transition to UCLA.