Student Experience

Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026: Celebrating the Class of ’76

UC Santa Cruz’s Alumni Reunion Weekend brought Banana Slugs back to the redwoods for a weekend of celebration.

May 6, 2026

By Haneen Zain

Despite clouds, fog, and a bit of rain, UC Santa Cruz’s Class of 1976 showed up in force and in great spirits to Alumni Reunion Weekend April 24-26. Alumni Reunion Weekend is an annual event celebrating the 50th reunion class, bringing together Banana Slugs to reconnect with their alma mater, fellow classmates, and the enduring spirit of the campus they called home.

Over 200 members of the UCSC community returned to campus this year to honor their milestone reunion, revisit cherished memories, and forge new bonds. 

“There is something truly special about watching alumni come back to campus, reconnect with former classmates and rediscover a place that shaped them,” said Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Shayna Kent. “The joy and nostalgic connections people had throughout the weekend warmed my heart.”

The weekend of connection and celebration kicked off on Thursday, April 23, with a virtual gathering hosted by UC Santa Cruz Alumni Councilor Richard Mahon (Cowell ’78; Ph.D. ’89). The online event invited alumni to reflect on how their time as Banana Slugs shaped the people they became, sparking candid and heartfelt stories.

Mahon reflected warmly on the magnetic pull of the campus, describing a near-universal experience among alumni.

“I think probably lots of us came to Santa Cruz to see where it was that had admitted us, saw the campus, and that ended any question about where we would actually choose to attend,” Mahon said.

Amy Herstein Gervasio (Cowell ’76), who went on to become both a professor of psychology and clinician, credited UCSC’s uniquely interdisciplinary approach as something she never found matched anywhere else in her career. 

“The interdisciplinary aspect of UC Santa Cruz was something I never saw equaled in any of the three or four places that I taught at,” Gervasio said. “I really attribute being able to think in those terms to UC Santa Cruz.”

Joel Biatch (Stevenson ’78) described how the university instilled in him a way of engaging with the world that stays with him to this day, including a physical pull back to campus. 

“When I physically go back to the campus, which I try not to let more than about a year and a half go by in between, there is some sort of opening of something that allows me to refashion the way I perceive reality,” Biatch said. “I can’t describe it any differently from that, but it’s monumental.”

The in-person festivities began Friday evening with the Golden Alumni Reunion Dinner at the stunning Chaminade Resort & Spa, where graduates from the Class of 1976 and earlier gathered to share stories and reconnect. 

Saturday brought alumni back to campus for a full day of college-specific gatherings and programming.

Guided driving tours led by fellow alumnus Larry Pageler (Crown, ’82)  and a lunch with current students rounded out the afternoon. The lunch with students gave attendees the chance to reflect on similarities and differences between UC Santa Cruz then and now. 

The weekend reached a rainy, yet memorable high point Saturday evening with the Golden Hour Gathering, which brought together returning alumni alongside cherished emeriti and retirees for a celebratory send-off to the day. 

The weekend wrapped up Sunday morning with a farewell breakfast at the Merrill Provost House with John Isbister, former Merrill Provost and longest serving provost in the history of UC Santa Cruz, in attendance. The final gathering gave attendees one last chance to linger over conversation and reflect on a weekend full of shared memories and renewed friendships before heading home.

Mark your calendar for next year’s Alumni Reunion Weekend, April 30-May 2, 2027.