Social Justice & Community
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The creation of the Cigarette Surfboard
Alumnus Ben Judkins’s (Kresge ’17, film and digital media) award-winning documentary follows the creation of the Cigarette Surfboard: A surfboard created by friend Taylor Lane from 10,000+ cigarette butts collected off beaches. Judkins’s documentary has helped influence legislation in Santa Cruz County, and will be screened at UC Santa Cruz on March 8.
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Eighteen years of mobilizing marginalized students, making science more innovative
Review in Nature Astronomy highlights how UC Santa Cruz’s Lamat Institute leverages cultural strengths through tailored experiences, raises awareness of systemic barriers, and builds culturally validating communities
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Distinguished Professor Emerita Judit Moschkovich elected to the National Academy of Education
Moschkovich has published influential work advancing understanding of mathematical thinking, learning, and classroom discourse, particularly in linguistically diverse settings.
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Two UC Santa Cruz alumnae make their Off-Broadway debut
Rosie Glen-Lambert (Porter ’14, theater arts) and Hailey McAfee (Rachel Carson ’13, theater arts) make their Off-Broadway debut at Soho Playhouse from January 14 to February 13. The limited Off-Broadway engagement follows a sold-out run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival where the duo’s production received multiple honors.
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Legendary Jamaican percussionist Larry McDonald to deliver MLK keynote
Artist who recorded with Bob Marley, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Taj Mahal, and Gil Scott-Heron to discuss his seven-decade career in reggae, ska, dub, jazz, soul, and other genres
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Arts & Culture, Campus News, Climate & Sustainability, Health, Social Justice & Community, TechnologyNine major wins worth celebrating for 2025
From amazing research discoveries to high-impact new education and fundraising initiatives, UC Santa Cruz created significant positive change, despite headwinds
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Students in summer field school unearth artifacts and a new passion for archaeology
Interns funded by a UC-HBCU grant learned key professional skills and found their calling while excavating an archaeological site in West Africa
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Learning from Dolores Huerta’s legacy
New K-12 lesson plans support comprehensive history understanding by bringing Huerta’s life story into California classrooms
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Connecting hearts, heritage, and higher education
By supporting The Humanities Institute and volunteering with Senderos, Carolyn and Curt Coleman help bridge campus and community—connecting students, families, and cultural traditions across generations.
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Arts & Culture, Campus News, Climate & Sustainability, Earth & Space, Health, Social Justice & Community, Student Experience, TechnologyInspiring Change: UC Santa Cruz launches $750M campaign
The campaign is a collective effort to raise funding to accelerate the campus’s groundbreaking discoveries, create real, lasting solutions to some of the world’s most consequential challenges, and amplify the next generation of leaders and scholars.
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Redefining systems of care: Alumna works to advance health equity across California
Alumna and co-CEO of Essential Access Health Dr. Nomsa Khalfani (Kresge ’91, sociology) works to advance sexual and reproductive health equity across California and is a public health leader in her community.
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Empowering community organizations to lead on economic development
The Institute for Social Transformation organized a recent statewide gathering that brought together partners from the Community Economic Mobilization Initiative.