Author: Peggy Townsend
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Alum inspires kids to create a personal relationship with nature
John Sanders’s fascination with the ocean began when he moved with his parents to Venice, Calif. Now he heads a hands-on, science education program in San Luis Obispo.
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Coming full circle
Alumnus Darren Thompson, an accomplished chemist and student mentor, overcame a dark turn in his life with help from his determination, his Christian faith, and a UC Santa Cruz professor.
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Expanding the lines of communication
Muratcan Cicek, a Ph.D. candidate in computer engineering who won a prestigious 2020 Google Ph.D. fellowship, is working to improve head-based pointing methods for those who cannot use a mouse or trackpad.
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Challenging how we see the prison-industrial complex
An ambitious two-part exhibit, titled Barring Freedom and Visualizing Abolition, organized by the UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences, combines art and activism to address prison and policing issues.
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Rising from the ashes
Archaeological researchers from UC Santa Cruz are among the volunteers searching through rubble for homeowners who lost their loved ones’ cremains in the fires that ravaged Oregon and California.
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In the line of fire
Alumnus Adam Lowdermilk had built a career as a musician, but the tragic 2018 Camp Fire prompted a change of heart and a leap into firefighting.
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Rising to the Eco-Challenge
Two Slug alumni were part of a grueling, 11-day, 416-mile adventure race called Eco-Challenge Fiji, caught in a 10-episode series streaming on Amazon Prime.
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Building bridges out of prison walls
Student Alyssa Tamboura began a student-run, volunteer program called Walls to Bridges that mediates meetings between those jailed and their families as a way to work their way back to better relationships.
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Monica Estrada Arias
Monica Estrada Arias never met the young man. An activist, he was killed during the 2019 protests in Chile. Yet, as part of a team of UC Santa Cruz students researching the demonstrations, which erupted over cost-of-living increases and economic equalities, Estrada said she will always feel a connection to him.
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Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia is looking forward to going to grad school and having a career in education, either as a professor or directing a program that provides equal opportunities for students no matter who they are or where they came from.
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Felix Vazquez
If Felix Vazquez had to title his four years at UC Santa Cruz, he said they would be called, “A Series of Fortunate Events.”
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Nyereath Nhial
Nhial, a 2020 UC Santa Cruz graduate who was born in San Diego County, knew her family’s saga but wanted to explore more deeply the stories of women in the deadly conflicts that had wracked South Sudan rather than the men that history usually centered on.