Her Story
About Alison
Alison Alkon earned her PhD in sociology in 2008 and has been teaching sociology ever since, with a total of 18 years in the field. She previously taught at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and has been at UC Santa Cruz for three years, where she teaches in the Community Studies program. The program focuses on helping students understand social change, the strategies communities use to achieve positive outcomes, and how to engage in such work through six months of field research with community organizations worldwide, followed by a senior thesis. Alison is a member of the American Sociological Association, the Association of American Geographers, and the Association for the Study of Food and Society. She attributes her success to developing relationships, genuinely caring about colleagues, working hard, and some luck. She advises young women entering the field to do work that feels authentic and in solidarity with others. She notes challenges in higher education including student debt, high costs of living, and the shift toward adjunct positions, emphasizing the need to advocate for the value of critical thinking and well-educated individuals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alison
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I think it's a combination of developing relationships and genuinely caring about the people I'm working with. Working really hard, and then a lot of luck. You know, I think lots of people work hard, lots of people are good people, but it takes more than just being good to be successful. I think luck has a lot to do with it.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do the work that feels like it has integrity to you, put your effort where it feels like it matters, and don't worry too much about the consequences or where it's gonna go from here. Do the work that feels good to you, do the work where you are in solidarity with people you care about, and let the, you know, something will come.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Higher education is a mess right now. Students are going into tremendous amounts of debt. The cost of living is inordinate. Basic needs and survival while in college is an issue. Replacing full-time tenured jobs with adjuncts paid abysmally. There's a perception that university education is just a credentialing measure. The challenge is to make the case for why having well-educated, thoughtful, critically thinking humans is going to make us live in a better world.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Maintaining a sense of what's possible. Not letting your imagination be limited by people with more power. Having a systemic analysis of why things are the way they are, and a grounded strategy of what needs to change. Extending love and compassion to people. Creating a strong sense of community, being connected.
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