Two UM Sociology graduate students won a national award for best graduate student paper in consecutive years. Alpha Kappa Delta, the national honors society for Sociology, organizes the paper competition and provides winners with $500 in prize money, $1,000 to cover the cost of attending the American Sociological Association annual meeting, and the chance to be published in Sociological Inquiry. 

In 2021, Michelle Williams’ “‘Its Own Little City’: Customer Service in Truck Stops” won first place in the competition. In their paper, Williams employed participant observation at a truck stop to during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams found that gender, race, sexuality, and rurality shaped interactions between customers and staff in the truck stop. This was especially true of interactions that involved discussion of politics and public health.   

In 2022, Sara Wozniak’s paper "'Sexual Harassment is My Job': The Impacts of Display Work on Bikini Barista Interactions” won first place as well. In her paper, Wozniak utilized in-depth interviews to understand the experiences of women who worked at bikini barista coffee stands in the Pacific Northwest. Wozniak found that while sexual harassment was rampant in this industry, women baristas’ views of it were complicated. While some abhorred it, she argued, others viewed it neutrally as a vehicle to increase their tips and earnings.  

The department is very proud of Sara and Michelle. We agree with the AKD’s selection committee, which congratulated them for not only “having produced an outstanding piece of sociological writing, but also for the long and enduring track record of academic excellence on which this paper was built.” 

These two papers are available to access below:

"'Sexual Harassment is My Job': The Impact of Display Work on Bikini Barista Interactions" by Sara Wozniak

"'Its Own Little City':Service Work in Truck Stops" by Michelle Williams