Student Experience
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Ciara Bolt at UC San Francisco and Natera
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Ciara Bolt (Kresge ’24, molecular, cell and developmental biology) worked as a Junior Specialist in the Sil Lab at UC San Francisco and now holds a position as a research associate at Natera, a global leader in cell-free DNA testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ…
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Smeet Mehta at 100x.VC Mumbai
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Smeet Mehta (Crown ’24, philosophy) works as an analyst at 100x.VC—an early-stage venture capital firm based in Mumbai—to help startups get the funding they need to start their journeys.
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Opening Doors: The Sergio Klor de Alva Memorial Scholarship
After losing her 24-year-old son in 2016, Julie Lawes transformed her grief into mission: creating a memorial scholarship in his name. The Sergio Klor de Alva Memorial Scholarship helps UC Santa Cruz students pursue life-changing experiences—a legacy born from a mother’s love and her son’s keen insights.
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Fall Move-In brings students back to campus
UC Santa Cruz welcomed thousands of students and families during Move-In 2025, filling residence halls and launching Slug Start, a six-week celebration of campus life.
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Slug Start 2025: A celebration of connection and belonging
Slug Start is a six-week celebration of campus life, packed with traditions, events, and opportunities to connect, belong, and thrive as students begin their Banana Slug journey.
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100 internships through Central Coast K-16 Collaborative open career pathways for local students
The Central Coast K-16 Regional Collaborative, led by UC Santa Cruz’s Educational Partnership Center, is funding nearly 100 paid internships that connect local students with career pathways in high-demand fields across the region.
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UC Santa Cruz GEAR UP and PVUSD mark 25 years of advancing student success
Since 2000, the partnership has provided tens of thousands of local students with academic guidance, family engagement, and strong community connections to help them prepare for college.
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Return to the Redwoods welcomes hundreds back for third year and first-ever ABC alumni reunion
Return to the Redwoods 2025 saw hundreds of alumni return to UC Santa Cruz for a weekend filled with celebration.
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New program to train U.S. college students from all backgrounds to be conservation leaders
$1 million from Cedar Tree Foundation will fund a conservation-leadership academy to continue the work of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars program at UC Santa Cruz
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UC Santa Cruz students discover sunflower sea stars keep kelp-hungry urchins at bay
Presence of well-armed predator may be one way to help decimated kelp forests recover
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UC Santa Cruz earns high marks in Princeton Review rankings
UC Santa Cruz has been named one of the nation’s top universities by The Princeton Review for 2025, earning national recognition for its exceptional financial aid, strong value, sustainability leadership, and stunning campus—affirming its reputation as a student-centered, socially conscious, and academically rigorous institution.
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Alumna wins first season of ‘Yes, Chef!’ on Peacock
UC Santa Cruz alumna Emily Brubaker won the first season of ‘Yes, Chef!’ against 11 other professional chefs.