Social Justice & Community
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Breaking barriers and guiding others
As an outreach specialist with UC Santa Cruz’s Underground Scholars Program, Sammy Chavez (Rachel Carson ’25, Latin American and Latino studies and sociology) supports students navigating complex challenges in higher education. While completing his own degree, he was recognized with the Silver Slug Scholarship as a staff member pursuing his studies.
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Educational Partnership Center awarded $18.33 million in federal GEAR UP grants
UC Santa Cruz received two of the five GEAR UP Partnership grants in California, expanding educational access and opportunities for Central Coast students and families.
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Students support local antipoverty efforts through internship program
UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Economic Justice and Action provided paid student internship opportunities with local nonprofits through a program funded by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
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Economics Ph.D. candidate receives grant to study effects of rental control on household finances and labor market mobility
In the face of the increasing cost of living, economic research is uncovering how public policy initiatives are directly and indirectly shaping housing markets.
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UC Santa Cruz alumni leading local nonprofits: Pie Ranch
Many local nonprofits have roots that trace back to UC Santa Cruz alumni, who played pivotal roles in launching and shaping their missions. Alumnus Jered Lawson (Kresge ’92, community studies) co-founded Pie Ranch in 2005 and played a key role in launching UC Santa Cruz’s and the Homeless Garden Project’s Community Support Agriculture (CSA) programs…
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UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association announces 2025 UCSC Alumni Awards recipients
Barry J. Bowman, Terri McCullough, Daniel (Nane) Alejandrez, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, and Aviv Elor are the recipients of the 2025 UC Santa Cruz Alumni Awards.
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Alumna Nomsa Khalfani honored at inaugural Maternal Health Summit
Dr. Nomsa Khalfani (Kresge ’91, sociology) received the Health Equity Award at the first-annual Maternal Health Summit for her work as Co-CEO of Essential Access Health.
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Advising lawmakers on how to boost youth mental health
Sociology Professor Rebecca London testified before the state assembly to share policy recommendations and lessons from local community-led programs
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UC Santa Cruz and The Conservation Fund create a transformative collaboration to conserve regional habitat and pursue sustainable organic-farm expansion
The collaboration will advance the campus’s leadership in conservation, education, sustainability, and agroecology while preserving critical coastal landscapes and habitats for future generations
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UCSC alumnus featured in latest episode of “Leguizamo Does America” on MSNBC and Peacock
Dr. Rafael Enrique Delgadillo (Ph.D. ’24, Latin American and Latino Studies) is featured in the latest episode of Leguizamo Does America on MSNBC and Peacock.
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New air quality sensors enable community decision-making in Pajaro Valley region
Newly deployed sensors will fill in significant gaps in the area’s air quality monitoring network
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New research shows how immigration status can become a death sentence during public health crisis
A study looking back on COVID-19 deaths in California found that immigrants who were potentially undocumented experienced much higher relative excess mortality during the pandemic, revealing failures in both public health and immigration policy.