Author: Peggy Townsend
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An advocate for menstrual equity
Student Amanda Safi helped get a new California law passed that requires public schools to stock restrooms with free menstrual products—a move activists say is a first step toward rectifying the discrimination, stigma, and financial, educational, and health consequences faced by those who menstruate.
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A cup of kindness
UC Santa Cruz student Tommy Alejandrez was living on the streets when he met former NFL player Zack Follett on a busy corner in Fresno. The meeting—over a cup of coffee—sparked a friendship that would change both of their lives.
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Stepping up to fight food insecurity
UC Santa Cruz has expanded its annual Second Harvest Holiday Food and Fund Drive to help boost donations—needed now more than ever in the wake of the pandemic, wildfires, and economic turmoil.
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How one tiny island influenced the world
Egill Bjarnason, journalist and Soc Doc alumnus, explains the big history of his native Iceland in a “joyously peculiar book.”
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Wild, wild life
Alumnus Sebastian Kennerknecht cares so deeply about animals that he built a career in wildlife conservation photography to help fight for their survival.
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Blazing a Slug trail to the Olympics
Rhythmic gymnast Izzy Connor will be the first UC Santa Cruz student to compete in the Olympics—the result of years of both personal struggle and success.
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Enabling women and girls to achieve their potential
Alumna Ann Starrs, director of family planning at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, came to reproductive health work from a steadfast commitment—strengthened by her time at UC Santa Cruz—to feminism, gender equality, and women’s empowerment.
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Alumni Week 2021: Bringing the festivities to you!
UC Santa Cruz’s all-virtual Alumni Week will offer both Slugs and the community a wide menu of smart, interesting, and just-plain-fun events, wherever you may be on the globe.
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Proud Slugs making a difference through public service
A Superior Court judge. The director of the public art program for Los Angeles. A defense attorney. They all believe in public service, and they all say their time at UC Santa Cruz changed their lives in permanent ways.
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‘Another glass ceiling shattered’
UC Santa Cruz student Gina Schneider became a part of history as one of the first women in the U.S. to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.
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Listening and bringing change
Aaron Jones, interim Educational Opportunity Programs director, founded the orientation program Black Academy, which has dramatically increased African Black Caribbean students’ retention rate at UCSC.
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Troupe dynamic
UC Santa Cruz’s African American Theater Arts Troupe, which is celebrating its 30-year anniversary, has not only staged plays but also taken up works that deal with issues of race, injustice, and discrimination; brought its performances into the community; and awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships.