Student Success
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Jazmine Miles: Hands on research brings learning full circle
Jazmine Miles came to UC Santa Cruz looking for a place to grow. Today, thanks to an unexpected class choice, an inspiring sociology professor, and an opportunity to do hands-on research about the growing youth power movement in a once-conservative corner of California, the senior sociology major and film minor at Merrill College has done…
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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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Neil Hardy: Generational health
Neil Hardy won’t likely stay in academia when he finishes his doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz in the next couple of years. He would like to be an inventor or an entrepreneur in the health care technology sector. “I want to help people,” he said. “I want to improve…
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Meleia Simon-Reynolds: Documenting the local Filipino-American experience
As a child, Meleia Simon-Reynolds spent much of her time at her Filipino grandmother’s house, but she never heard much about her life. It wasn’t until much later when the UC Santa Cruz history doctoral student was assigned to interview an immigrant for a class that she heard her grandmother’s experiences for the first time. …
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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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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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Raymond Hess: In a state of flow
Raymond Hess, a senior Earth and planetary sciences major at Oakes College, likes using not only his mind but also his hands to solve problems. This is why when he’s not in the classroom, Hess will sometimes find himself chest deep in water in a flooded farm basin or hunched over a sediment analyzer in…
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Jonathan Green: The value of mentorship
Jonathan Green recalls a memorable day in high school in Santa Monica when he got to tour a biotech lab. He loved seeing the microscopes, the high-tech science equipment, and the scientists at work. He knew this would be a field he would enjoy. Now a senior at UC Santa Cruz, Green (Rachel Carson ’22)…
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Pearl Ibeanusi: Finding her village—and elevating her community
Every morning, Pearl Ibeanusi would wake up at 4 a.m., hoist a pan of plantains onto her head, and walk the streets of her rural village in Nigeria calling, “Buy plantains for breakfast,” until all her wares were gone. She was 8 years old. Afterward, Ibeanusi would get her five siblings ready for school, go…
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NSF funding boosts undergraduate research experience in MCD Biology
A course-based undergraduate research program is expanding opportunities for biology undergraduates to get faculty-mentored research experience.
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A cup of kindness
UC Santa Cruz student Tommy Alejandrez was living on the streets when he met former NFL player Zack Follett on a busy corner in Fresno. The meeting—over a cup of coffee—sparked a friendship that would change both of their lives.