Profile
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Ricky Bluthenthal announced as 2022 social sciences distinguished alumni award recipient
The Social Sciences division is proud to announce trailblazing health equity researcher and advocate Ricky Bluthenthal (Merrill ’86, History and Sociology) as the recipient of the 2022 Social Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award.
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Babak Farahmand: Navigating complex systems
Babak Farahmand (John R. Lewis ’20, Computer Science) came to the U.S. as a refugee from Iran six years ago without any money, connections, or understanding of the English language, but managed to graduate debt-free. Farahmand was determined to pursue higher education, transferring to UC Santa Cruz from Berkeley City College in 2018. Although this…
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Cassandra Mar: Bringing the power to the people
Cassandra Mar has a passion for helping ordinary people, especially minorities, feel connected to the political process. As a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz in politics (highest honors) and legal studies (honors), she hopes to inspire more people to make their voices heard in the political arena. Growing up in Sacramento as a Mexican-American…
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Discovery in McHenry Library Inspires First-Generation Alumnus to Become a Champion of Social Change
When Chance Brown (Merrill ’89, sociology) arrived at UCSC in 1985, he was embarking on a solo mission that was unfamiliar and overwhelming. The first in his family to pursue a college degree, Brown relied on the staff in the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) office to help him navigate the complexities of college life and…
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Rekindling friendships through volunteering: Pioneer alumni organize Crown’s 50th
UC Santa Cruz pioneer alumni Lisa Rose, Jim Lapsley and Susan Nerton have spent three years planning Crown College’s first-ever 50th reunion. With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the reunion back multiple years, Rose, Lapsley and Nerton are excited to invite a five-year range of pioneer Crown alumni back to the campus they love.
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Pioneer Alumna Marion Howard Hoekenga announced 2021 Alumni Survey giveaway winner
All participants of the 2021 Alumni Survey were automatically entered into a drawing. Marion Howard Hoekenga is the winner of the giveaway.
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UCSC alumna Kira Gaber announced 2021 alumni survey getaway winner
All participants of the 2021 Alumni Survey were automatically entered into a drawing. Kira Gaber is the winner of the getaway trip to Santa Cruz with hotel accommodations at the Dream Inn.
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Keeping the stoke fresh
Alumnus David Schulkin, who has taught surfing to UC Santa Cruz students for more than two decades, is ‘all about joy and about passing on the joy of surfing.’
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Sareil Brookins: The path to fearlessness
UC Santa Cruz Alumna Sareil Brookins (Stevenson ’19, Intensive Psychology and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies) grasped every opportunity that came her way during her time at UCSC. She says that being a Black and Queer womxn at UCSC pushed her to go above and beyond in everything she accomplished and encouraged her to become…
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Mario Galdamez: Determination. Hard-Work. Perseverance.
UC Santa Cruz alumni Mario Galdamez (Merrill ’06, Politics and Latin American & Latino Studies) was born in a rural, impoverished town in El Salvador. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1993, Galdamez worked part-time jobs while in high school and was determined to pursue higher education. His time at UCSC changed his life.
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Danielle Dadiego named recipient of 2022 Society for American Archaeology Dissertation Award
UC Santa Cruz alumna Danielle Dadiego (M.A. Anthropology, ’17; Ph.D. Anthropology, ’20) has worked in the archeology field for nearly two decades. Her dissertation, Beads, Bullets, and Brokerage: Exploring Economic Agency in Eighteenth-Century West Florida, has been nationally recognized by the 2022 Society for American Archaeology Dissertation Award, one of the most prestigious awards in…
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An advocate for menstrual equity
Student Amanda Safi helped get a new California law passed that requires public schools to stock restrooms with free menstrual products—a move activists say is a first step toward rectifying the discrimination, stigma, and financial, educational, and health consequences faced by those who menstruate.