Alumni
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UCSC alumna Quressa Robinson expands representation in publishing
As a literary agent, Quressa Robinson (Oakes ‘03, literature) uses her influence to bring diverse, nuanced stories to young adult readers.
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Dr. Ramon Resa: Building a life of service in the Central Valley
Ramon Resa (Crown ’76, biology) grew up picking crops in California’s Central Valley and went on to spend over four decades as a pediatrician in the community he calls home. A UC Santa Cruz alumnus, Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, and author, Resa has built a life defined by service.
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Making ethics accessible
Alumnus Tim Shannon (Cowell ’71, history) has philanthropically supported the Humanities at UC Santa Cruz for 15 years. His support of the Norcal Regional Highschool Ethics Bowl, hosted annually at UC Santa Cruz, has opened doors for public schools across the region.
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Maria Rocha-Ruiz named UC Santa Cruz’s Sea Dubs Wavemaker
Maria Rocha-Ruiz has been named UC Santa Cruz’s Sea Dubs Wavemaker, honoring her leadership expanding educational opportunity and mentoring generations of students across the Central Coast.
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Engineered imagination
UC Santa Cruz alumna Lisa Winter (Porter ’09, art) brings an artist’s eye to the arena of combat robotics—evolving from childhood Robot Wars competitor to BattleBots judge and robotics entrepreneur.
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Alumni-founded biotech firm enters partnership to advance treatment for undruggable targets
Unnatural Products, a biotech company founded by UC Santa Cruz alumni Cameron Pye (Ph.D. ’17, chemistry & biochemistry) and Joshua Schwochert (Ph.D. ’17, chemistry & biochemistry), opens up treatment possibilities for diseases once thought to be undruggable.
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The creation of the Cigarette Surfboard
Alumnus Ben Judkins’s (Kresge ’17, film and digital media) award-winning documentary follows the creation of the Cigarette Surfboard: A surfboard created by friend Taylor Lane from 10,000+ cigarette butts collected off beaches. Judkins’s documentary has helped influence legislation in Santa Cruz County, and will be screened at UC Santa Cruz on March 8.
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‘Petri Dish 2.0’: A new startup is bringing automation to biology’s most tedious tasks
Open Culture Science, a revolutionary new startup out of the UC Genomics Institute’s Braingeneers group, aims to accelerate the pace of biological research with their patented technology.
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Slugs in Love 2026: Celebrating love stories from UCSC alumni
UC Santa Cruz alumni share their stories of how they found one another among the redwoods.
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Humanities graduates apply human-centered thinking in impactful careers
Across disciplines, they point to critical thinking, ethical reasoning, adaptability, and empathy as core strengths developed through humanities coursework.
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From founding faculty to future generations
Celebrating Jim Pepper’s 50-year legacy of teaching, mentorship, and environmental leadership
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Two UC Santa Cruz alumnae make their Off-Broadway debut
Rosie Glen-Lambert (Porter ’14, theater arts) and Hailey McAfee (Rachel Carson ’13, theater arts) make their Off-Broadway debut at Soho Playhouse from January 14 to February 13. The limited Off-Broadway engagement follows a sold-out run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival where the duo’s production received multiple honors.