Alumni Profile
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MacArthur ‘genius’ grant winner reflects on early influences at UC Santa Cruz
Forrest Stuart has built his career pursuing burning questions about the societal underpinnings of poverty and criminalization across disciplines. Stuart said his research focus has been influenced both by his childhood and the formative experiences of his undergraduate education at University of California, Santa Cruz, where he earned his bachelor’s in politics in 2004.
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Alumna Irma Eréndira Sandoval leads Mexico’s anti-corruption efforts
Mexico’s new president tapped UC Santa Cruz alumna Irma Sandoval to lead the government’s anti-corruption efforts.
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LA County’s new public defender is guided by ‘presumption of innocence’
This fall, UCSC alum Ricardo Garcia will take the helm of the LA County Public Defender’s Office—the largest and oldest public defender’s unit in the country.
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Julie Snyder: Serially great journalism
UC Santa Cruz alumna, who will receive this year’s Alumni Achievement Award, talks about making the hit podcast Serial and how her college years laid the foundation for a career in broadcast journalism
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Alumna’s ‘New York Times’ article details womens’ recruitment, escape from ISIS
UC Santa Cruz alumna Azadeh Moaveni (Oakes, politics, ’98) wrote the dramatic and detailed Sunday ‘New York Times’ article that describes how three young Syrian women become enlisted – two by arranged marriage – into ISIS and later escaped to Turkey.
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Senate confirms UCSC alumnus Vince Chhabria as U.S. District judge
The U.S. Senate last week confirmed UC Santa Cruz alumnus Vince Chhabria (’91, Merrill, politics) as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of California.
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Life lessons and a fast break for success
For UCSC student James Townsend, basketball not only provided lessons in hard work, perseverance, and self control—it was also his ticket off the streets.
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Alumna Dana Priest updates security report in light of Boston bombings
Washington Post reporter Dana Priest (Merrill, ’81, politics) has updated a television report on the national security industrial complex in light of the Boston Marathon bombings.
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Judge David Sotelo named Social Sciences distinguished alumni winner
When David Sotelo graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1983 (Merrill, politics) he was older than most undergrads, married, and the father of two small boys. Today, Sotelo is a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge and winner of the 2013 Distinguished Social Sciences Alumni Award at UCSC.
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Alums Dana Priest, Richard Harris win prestigious journalism awards
Two UC Santa Cruz alums, Richard Harris (Crown, 1980) and Dana Priest, (Merrill, 1981) have won prestigious journalism awards for their reporting last year on the Gulf oil spill and the national security complex.
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Alum Michael Scherer covers the White House for Time magazine
UCSC grad Michael Scherer is covering the White House for Time magazine.
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Go East, young man: Alumnus Mark Headley says UCSC prepared him for work he never dreamed of–investing in Asia
When he graduated from UCSC in 1983, Mark Headley (B.A. politics and economics, Stevenson College) had a mean fencing game and a deep understanding of the political and economic factors shaping Asia.