Commencement

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.

If Felix Vazquez had to title his four years at UC Santa Cruz, he said they would be called, “A Series of Fortunate Events.”

Jocelyn Lopez-Anleu was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles and is the first member in her family to leave home and attend a four-year university.

Joyce Lin designs whimsical and inclusive games—queer games Lin lovingly calls “gaymes.”

When Marian Avila-Breach, 25, transferred from a community college to UC Santa Cruz, she thought she knew what was in store for her during the next two years.

Max Tarlov, 21, already had his major in mind when he started out at UC Santa Cruz. But a class called Syntax 1 deepened his engagement with linguistics, while helping him to develop critical thinking skills.

Nirupama Chandrasekhar, 21, has pursued rigorous and impactful research throughout her undergraduate career, impressing her professors with her independent work and collaborative research projects.

Dana Byrne is the kind of person who likes to get answers. So it was a natural fit for her to gravitate to chemistry as a field of study.

The documentary Ben Ochoa is most proud of is one he made that hit close to home.

The 21-year-old from Kerala, India, is graduating with a double major in physics and mathematics, she speaks four languages, she has won numerous awards, and—oh, yes, she’s a published author of science-fiction novels.