Technology
Celebrating the Class of 2026
UC Santa Cruz is highlighting some of the amazing students in the Class of 2026. Video vignettes will be published throughout the week.
UC Santa Cruz is highlighting some of the amazing students in the Class of 2026. Video vignettes will be published throughout the week.
Commencement begins Friday morning with more than 5,400 students participating in the ceremonies. There is still time for staff and faculty to volunteer to help with commencement.
🎓🎮 My Voice Will: Help Build Games That Bring Communities Together
Baskin Engineering graduate student Sai Siddartha Maram (Ph.D., computational media) is pushing the boundaries of game design.
After five years working with the Game User Interaction and Intelligence Lab (GUII) lab at UC Santa Cruz, Sai is joining Xbox as a design researcher, where he will foster rich storytelling and player experiences that bring communities together.
🎓🔭 My Voice Will: Create Supportive Environments Where Excellence Can Thrive
UC Santa Cruz’s first Olympian, Isabelle “Izzy” Connor (Crown ‘26, astrophysics), knew she wanted to study the stars at 14 when she was traveling the world for rhythmic gymnastics and would feel grounded whenever she looked up at the night sky.
At UCSC, she published three papers advancing our understanding of galaxy dynamics, including a groundbreaking discovery about how energy is transported through space. In the fall, Izzy will continue her studies in Princeton’s astrophysics Ph.D. program.
🎓🇲🇽 My Voice Will: Preserve Historical Truths
As an Undergraduate Research Fellow with The Humanities Institute, Jamie Penilla (Kresge ‘26, history and Spanish studies) conducted fieldwork to lead her research project, “Gentrification and Aesthetics in Mexico City.” Her work examines how U.S. communities and digital nomadism contribute to the gentrification of CDMX.
In the fall, Jamie is headed to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to pursue a master’s degree in library and information science.
🎓🎭 My Voice Will: Uplift Others Higher Than Myself
With a relentless focus on changing the world through art and advocacy, Alyssa Windom (Porter ‘26, history of art and visual culture), wrote two original plays produced at UCSC—Something Stupid and Who Can I Run To—winning a 2026 Dharma Grace Creative Writing Award for the latter.
During her time at UCSC she held leadership positions in the Black Student Union and the Student Union Governance Board, volunteered with Engaging Education and performed with the Kasama Ballroom Dance Troupe.
🎓🌎 My Voice Will: Drive Meaningful Policy Change That Protects and Empowers Agriculture Workers Globally
Sofia Trigueros Ufford (Cowell ‘26, agroecology and Latin American & Latino studies) is dedicated to agricultural justice. Sofia’s passion was first ignited as a child when her father would tell stories about the working conditions on banana plantations. From documenting labor rights with the Center for Farmworker Families as a Rachel Carson College Fellow, to lobbying lawmakers in Washington, D.C. for the Opportunities in Organics Act, Sofia has spent her time at UC Santa Cruz channeling passion into real-world action.
Next year, Sofia is volunteering to serve with AmeriCorps and beginning a public policy program with the Harris School at the University of Chicago to prepare for a future in labor law.