Alumni Profiles
- December 05, 2018
Alumna Irma Eréndira Sandoval leads Mexico's anti-corruption efforts
Mexico's new president tapped UC Santa Cruz alumna Irma Sandoval to lead the government's anti-corruption efforts.
- October 10, 2018
Astronomer Natalie Batalha to receive Alumni Achievement Award
After serving as science lead for NASA’s Kepler Mission from 2011 to 2017, Batalha is returning to UC Santa Cruz as a professor of astronomy and astrophysics.
- October 04, 2018
Alumni Profile: Author-naturalist Christian Schwarz crusades on behalf of the planet
With his smart phone in hand, Christian Schwarz is empowering "citizen scientists" to document today's biodiversity in hopes of inspiring action before it's too late.
- September 28, 2018
LA County's new public defender is guided by 'presumption of innocence'
This fall, UCSC alum Ricardo Garcia will take the helm of the LA County Public Defender's Office—the largest and oldest public defender's unit in the country.
- September 07, 2018
Sounding it out
Alumnus Alexis Harte’s long career as a singer/songwriter has included original albums and songs for TV and film, and his company has become a pioneer in scoring and sound design.
- August 27, 2018
Fire in the belly
Alumna Caroline Carpenter was the first woman to graduate at the top of the Los Angeles Fire Department Academy—a testament to determination and grit.
- July 10, 2018
Alumna and film producer Stephanie Allain champions diversity
Stephanie Allain is a rare gem in the film industry. Not only is she brilliant and successful, but as an African-American woman who got her start over 25 years ago in a notoriously and overwhelmingly white and male-dominated business, she has charged ahead to break open established perceptions.
- July 10, 2018
From Math Major to Renowned Hollywood Music Editor, Alumnus Bill Bernstein Knows All the Right Notes
Having been the music editor on over 60 outstanding films during the course of his career, Bill Bernstein’s musical talent is epic. From working on such movies as The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty (for which he won a Grammy), The Help and Skyfall to many Pixar hits including Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and Finding Dory…it seems like every project he touches is a resounding success.
- June 21, 2018
Alumnus Dency Nelson's Brilliant Hollywood Career
With an amazing career in Hollywood spanning nearly 40 years, Dency Nelson has been the stage manager for almost every major award and event show for the past 25 years, including the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and Kennedy Center Honors.
- June 15, 2018
Commencement stories: Benjamin Smithers
Benjamin Smithers is a double major in mathematics and physics who is now working on his Ph.D.: an expedition into the world of neutrino physics.
- June 14, 2018
Commencement stories: Vincent Williams
Vincent Williams uses graphic design, sculptural installations, collage, and photography to comment on the history of black identity both in the United States and in Western art.
- June 12, 2018
Standing tall and giving back
For graduating senior Asante Nkosi, a double major in sociology and history allowed him to connect his experiences with his interest in black U.S. history, the Civil Rights Movement, and the contemporary moment.
- June 11, 2018
Commencement stories: Rachel Doran
Rachel Doran is a Ph.D. candidate in the graduate program in biomedical sciences and engineering, working on HIV immunogens. She has won a Graduate Research Symposium award for her presentation on “From armor to Achilles heel: Targeting the glycan shield of HIV in novel vaccine strategies".
- June 08, 2018
Commencement stories: Isabell Retamoza
Isabell Retamoza is a literature and feminist studies major and THI undergraduate fellow, with plans to study law at Northwestern University.
- June 06, 2018
Commencement stories: Henry Hinton
Henry Hinton, graduating with a bioengineering degree from the Jack Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz, will be attending Harvard University for his electrical engineering Ph.D. in the fall.
- April 23, 2018
Leaving their mark, inspiring others
This year's Distinguished Graduate Student Alumni honorees are making their mark on the world. During Alumni Weekend, they will be back on campus to inspire a new generation of scholars at a career panel.
- April 03, 2018
UC Santa Cruz honors alumni: bestselling author Hector Tobar and historian Virginia Espino
Award-winning journalist and author Héctor Tobar and filmmaker Virginia Espino are the 2018 recipients of the Social Sciences Division's Distinguished Alumni Award.
- April 02, 2018
Community Studies class showcases public health leaders in 'Year of Alumni'
Eight alumni are returning to campus this spring as guest lecturers in a special-edition public health class offered by Community Studies.
- March 13, 2018
Act of love
Chancellor George Blumenthal presented accomplished actress Adilah Barnes with the the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for her many artistic contributions to UC Santa Cruz. Barnes was back on campus performing in a revival of "A Raisin In The Sun."
- March 13, 2018
Alumna and Renowned Actress Adilah Barnes Returns to Campus for A Raisin In The Sun
Being very successful for over 50 years in the entertainment industry is no small feat. But actress Adilah Barnes takes it all in her stride.
- March 02, 2018
From Student Artist to Hollywood Producer, Alumnus Brian Kavanaugh-Jones Has Always Been Passionate About the Arts
From his passion for the arts and accompanying his father on travels around the globe, to his keen enthusiasm for collaboration and bringing outstanding creative projects to fruition, it’s no wonder that Brian was destined to become such a successful Hollywood film producer.
- February 09, 2018
Surfing into the history books
If the right conditions arrive this winter, alumna Sarah Gerhardt could be among the first women to compete in the Mavericks big-wave surf contest.
- January 30, 2018
Alumnus Michael Shipley's Creative Brilliance Continues to Shine
Santa Cruz native and UC Santa Cruz alumnus, Michael Shipley, found Santa Cruz to be an idyllic place to grow up during the 1970s and ‘80s. It was the place where he discovered his creative passion, eventually leading him to become not only a very talented photographer and musician, but also an award-winning television writer and producer for highly successful television shows, including Family Guy and American Dad!.
- January 01, 2018
Axel Alonso: Diversity’s superhero
Axel Alonso was editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics from 2011–2017, where he built a legacy by making comic book characters and their creators reflect the diversity of our world.
- January 01, 2018
John Laird: A trailblazing public servant
John Laird has watched his political capital rise over the years. In 1983, while serving on the Santa Cruz City Council, he became one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States.
- January 01, 2018
Julie Packard: Safeguarding the sea
Julie Packard helped found the Monterey Bay Aquarium and has served as the aquarium's executive director since it opened in 1984.
- January 01, 2018
Kent Nagano: The maestro
Kent Nagano is an internationally acclaimed opera and symphony conductor who is renowned for interpretations of clarity, elegance, and intelligence.
- January 01, 2018
Kathy Sullivan: From the sea to the stars
A scientist, astronaut, and award-winning educator, Kathy Sullivan was the first American woman to walk in space and is the former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
- January 01, 2018
Kevin Beggs: Television visionary
As chairman of the Lionsgate Television Group, Kevin Beggs places a high premium on creativity, risk, and, in his own words, “going where others won’t.”
- January 01, 2018
Kris Perry: Standing for equality
Kris Perry never intended to become a civil rights icon. As an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, she explored the themes of social justice that would shape her career as an advocate for children.
- January 01, 2018
M. Sanjayan: The face of conservation
A prominent ecologist and Emmy-nominated television personality, M. Sanjayan is CEO of the nonprofit Conservation International—the first new CEO of the organization in 30 years.
- January 01, 2018
Adilah Barnes: Holding the stage
An award-winning actor with over 50 years of film, television, and stage credits, Adilah Barnes is probably best known to television audiences for her role as Anne Marie on ABC's Roseanne for six seasons.
- January 01, 2018
Martha Mendoza: Writing wrongs
Two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning Associated Press reporter and author Martha Mendoza had a life-changing moment early in her UC Santa Cruz career.
- January 01, 2018
Reyna Grande: Documenting the immigrant experience
Award-winning novelist and memoirist Reyna Grande attended UC Santa Cruz after her junior college English teacher urged her to leave the urban confines of Los Angeles and try living somewhere different.
- January 01, 2018
Sage Weil: Opening doors for open source
As the founder of web hosting company DreamHost, Sage Weil was already a successful entrepreneur when he came to UC Santa Cruz in 2004 to study data storage systems.
- January 01, 2018
Susan Wojcicki: The most powerful woman on the internet
Susan Wojcicki is CEO of YouTube, the ubiquitous video-sharing website that in 2017 was ranked as the second most popular site in the world—only behind its parent company Google.
