All participants of the 2021 Alumni Survey were automatically entered into a drawing for a getaway trip to Santa Cruz with hotel accommodations at the Dream Inn. The winner of the initial draw is pioneer alumna Marion Hoekenga (Cowell, ’69), who is unable to travel to Santa Cruz in the coming year. The UCSC Alumni Engagement team will be sending gifts to Hoekenga to bring a taste of UCSC to her. Kira Gaber (Kresge, ’06) is the winner of the second drawing for the getaway trip.
Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all that participated in the Alumni Survey.
Currently residing in San Francisco, UCSC alumna Kira Gaber (Kresge ’06, Business Management and Economics, History of Art in Visual Culture) looks back at her years at UC Santa Cruz fondly.
After attending community college in San Francisco, Gaber transferred to UCSC and graduated with two B.A.'s in Business Management and Economics and History of Art in Visual Culture in 2006. She says late professor emeritus and former accounting department chair Bob Shepherd had a profound impact on her career path.
“I felt like he was my greatest influence, and I feel like where I am today is because of his teaching style and encouragement,” Gaber says.
Shepherd had hosted a job fair for accounting firms and encouraged Gaber to attend. Through the job fair, Gaber found her first job with PricewaterhouseCoopers. After working with the company for about a year and a half, Gaber went on to work for an architecture design firm, a public relations agency, and is now working for a startup company in San Francisco, all with a focus on finance and accounting.
Gaber says her time at UC Santa Cruz allowed her to explore multiple interests while discovering her career path.
“UC Santa Cruz taught me to be open to everything and every opportunity,” Gaber says. “There were classes that I took that wouldn’t necessarily have been on my radar, and getting to take classes with other students that you wouldn't ordinarily see really kept your mind open.”
Gaber says she is excited to use her alumni survey getaway package to take a vacation to Santa Cruz with two of her childhood friends who also attended UCSC. Gaber and her friends hope to visit the beaches, the redwood forests, and Pacific Avenue while in Santa Cruz.
“UC Santa Cruz coincidentally was the right choice for all of us,” Gaber says. “We are still super good friends, and we definitely spent a lot of time together. I didn't make a lot of new friends at UCSC, but was able to solidify my relationships with my closest friends.”
Congratulations to alumna Kira Gaber, and thank you to all that participated in the Alumni Survey. Results of the survey will be announced in late April.
