Haneen Zain
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From the humanities to tech leadership: Alumna Lúcia Soares’s journey from UC Santa Cruz to Carlyle
UC Santa Cruz alumna Lúcia Soares is the CIO and Head of Technology Transformation at global investment firm Carlyle. Soares credits her humanities background with giving her critical skills that were essential to her growth in the tech industry.
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Leah Dowty: Championing student opportunities in marine and plant life
Longtime volunteer and supporter of UC Santa Cruz, Leah Dowty, recently made a planned gift in memory of her parents, Don and Margene Burgoyne, which will establish endowed funds in support of student internships at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and the Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
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Neerav Handa: Amplifying cancer research and student research opportunities
Neerav Handa, Senior Director of software development at Oracle, established the Manjusha Handa Memorial Scholarship in memory of his late wife, Manjusha Handa. The scholarship supports students pursuing cancer research at UC Santa Cruz.
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Brock Hrehor at the Capitol Forum
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Brock Hrehor (Stevenson ’25, philosophy) is an investigative reporter at the Capitol Forum.
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Evelyne Gong at Deloitte
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Evelyne Gong (Oakes ’25, business management economics) is an audit and assurance associate at Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms.
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Owen Moosman at UC San Francisco
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Owen Moosman (Stevenson ’25, molecular, cell & developmental biology) is working as a research associate in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Samantha Chang at Sunblink
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Samantha (Sammy) Chang (College Nine ’25, art & design: games and playable media) is a marketing and player communications coordinator at Sunblink—a video game development studio based in Boulder, Colorado, best known for creating the critically acclaimed video game ‘Hello Kitty Island Adventure’.
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Maddison Brodeur at Girl Scouts Heart of Central California and Maddison’s Communitea
One year after graduating, Maddison Brodeur (Stevenson ’25, community studies and sociology) is a Regional Coordinator at Girl Scouts Heart of Central California, running her own business, Maddison’s Communitea, and currently serving as Miss Black Sacramento through Nov. 2026.
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Life Beyond the Redwoods: Samiyah Shaikh at Carnegie Mellon University
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Samiyah Shaikh (John R. Lewis ’25, computer science) is pursuing a Master’s degree in software engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
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UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association announces 2026 Alumni Award recipients
John Torigoe, Melinda Aldrich, James Hein, Peter Coha, Jim Gunderson, and Stephanie Barron Lu are the recipients of the 2026 UC Santa Cruz Alumni Awards.
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Jessica Lum to serve as UC Santa Cruz’s sixth alumni regent
Since graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Jessica Lum (Rachel Carson ’09, environmental studies and economics) has built a career in external affairs, serving mission-driven organizations, non-profit trade associations, and government. She began her two-year term as an alumni regent earlier this month.
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UC Santa Cruz launches the Donor Collective as part of Inspiring Change—the Campaign for UCSC
The Donor Collective amplifies the shared values of UCSC donors and harnesses their philanthropy into powerful, lasting impact through student opportunities, educational programs, and breakthrough research. The Donor Collective creates a pathway for every donor to have the kind of impact they want to make in the world through supporting the university.