John Sabatini ’96

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John Sabatini is a superb academician and researcher who has contributed unceasingly to the intellectual and community growth of UCLA. He builds his goals for social justice around a solid, realistic understanding of contemporary social realities.

Sabatini planned his individualized major in diversity, conflict and resolution himself – providing a broad interdisciplinary education in communication studies, anthropology, education, psychology, sociology and philosophy. He has applied his major to campus service as a charter member of the UCLA Conflict Mediation Program, in which he joins with faculty, staff and other students to mediate interethnic conflict.

Going beyond degree requirements, Sabatini has done a double major by fulfilling the requirements for a major in communication studies. Overall, his work includes three senior thesis projects, two for his individualized major and one for communication studies. As part of his departmental honors senior thesis, Sabatini is conducting an experiment that examines the roles of environmental and psychological factors in sexual harassment. His interest in this line of research stems from working as a peer rape prevention educator with UCLA’s Women’s Resource Center.

For his individualized major, one thesis involves researching the protest movements of the 1960s. The other consists of research with the goal of compiling a comprehensive body of criticism regarding mediation’s weaknesses involving diversity and power. Based on these findings, a practical training manual is to be created for the Conflict Mediation Program for UCLA and other universities to use in establishing and maintaining mediation programs targeting diversity-related conflict.

A founder of the Communication Studies Student Department Association, Sabatini has also been an active member of the Daily Bruin staff for four years as a music writer, copy editor and night editor. In the wider Los Angeles community, he trained Venice High School students to be effective mediators. He also served as project coordinator of a program for teen parents as part of President Clinton’s Summer of Service, the 1993 pilot program for Americorps.

Already designated Phi Beta Kappa and an Alumni Association Undergraduate Distinguished Scholar, Sabatini will graduate summa cum laude after a collegiate career marked by numerous other academic honors. He serves as community the service director for Mortar Board Senior Honor Society and is a member of Golden Key Honor Society.

“The kinds of experiences he has reached for will make him a wiser and more compassionate lawyer, better able to produce the dream he has voiced of ‘true social equality, justice and harmony’ in our world.”