Commencement
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Sean Lawrence
With his work studying the relationship between Germany’s Deutsche Bank and the Ottoman Empire, Sean Lawrence shows that many things we think of as unique to our modern capitalistic world really have roots dating back much further.
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Teresa Faasolo
Teresa Faasolo decided to study computer engineering because she was good at math and highly interested in computers. The major proved more difficult than she had expected, but with help from the Multicultural Engineering Program, she regained her confidence—and found a family.
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Tiffany-Ellen Vo
Tiffany-Ellen Vo encountered some initial difficulties in college, but with support from the Multicultural Engineering Program she regained her footing. She went on to take advantage of every opportunity she was offered at UC Santa Cruz—and she has already secured a job as a software engineer at Cisco.
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Crossing and Zooming: A joyful 2021 commencement
This year’s UC Santa Cruz commencement festivities blended online ceremonies with jovial, in-person gatherings, including “Slug Crossings,” a chance for graduates to cross a stage on campus with their caps, gowns, and tassels while loved ones cheered them on.
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Desiderio Ascencio
Halfway through Desi Ascencio’s undergraduate years, he got work at a research lab, then was accepted as a summer research assistant for the STEM Diversity Programs. Both of these environments were pivotal to his finding the confidence to explore his interests as a student and as a scientist.
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Evanjelin Mahmoodi
Evanjelin Mahmoodi knew she was interested in STEM fields when she arrived at UC Santa Cruz but soon discovered she especially liked mathematics. Now she’s graduating with a double major in mathematics and computer science.
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Jeven Zarate-McCoy
In his four years at UCSC, Jeven Zarate-McCoy has served in various lead roles and officer positions with the Game Design and Arts Collaboration student group and is capping his final year as president.
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Jonah Gertz
Jonah Gertz tried to choose between his two academic passions: intensive history and music. But, he said, the choice was impossible since he was surrounded by so many different opportunities to grow as both a historian and musician.
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Joslyn Chu
Joslyn Chu loved psychology before arriving at UCSC and planned to follow that path. But after a couple of classes she soon fell in love with the issues of Oceania and climate change, particularly how “people in Oceania are using art as a form of activism to spread awareness of effects of climate change,” she…
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Katharina Pierini
The qualities of patience, perseverance, focus, hard work, and striving to achieve an elusive goal helped Katharina Pierini hold the course toward a UC Santa Cruz diploma, an educational path she completed in spite of a 27-year-long delay and a devastating wildfire.
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Montserrat Lopez
Montserrat Lopez dedicated her college career to art, outreach, activism, and giving back to the communities that have sustained her. With her far-ranging goals and ambitious course of study, Lopez had not a minute to lose when she transferred to UC Santa Cruz last year.
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Nabeela Ariqat
Nabeela Ariqat, a first-generation college student, hoped for a new beginning at UC Santa Cruz, which she attended in part because “I felt like I could be who I was,” she said.