Inspiring Change: Creativity and Expression
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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.
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Alumnus and Pixar editor Kevin Nolting empowers next-gen filmmakers at UCSC
Kevin Nolting (Porter ’79, aesthetic studies) founded Slug 48 within UC Santa Cruz’s Arts Division in 2024. The 48-hour filmmaking event empowers UC Santa Cruz students to push past creative boundaries.
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CEJA at UC Santa Cruz: Preparing alumni for academic and community impact
Alumni Desiree Ryan (Ph.D. ’24, psychology), David Amaral (Ph.D. ’22, politics), Melina Singh (Ph.D. ‘23, psychology), and Rosalie Lansing (Rachel Carson ’24, sociology) share their experiences with the Center for Economic Justice and Action and how it prepared them to be successful in their careers.
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Thirty years of investing in communities: Alumna Shannon Lawder on language, philanthropy, and following your passion
UC Santa Cruz alumna Shannon Lawder (Kresge ’91, Russian studies) is the director of the Civil Society Program at the Mott Foundation. The Mott Foundation has supported communities worldwide for 100 years, and Lawder has been part of that mission for 31 years.
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On the rise: Alumna August Lee Stevens makes her way in the Bay Area music scene
August Lee Stevens’s music career has taken off since her time at UC Santa Cruz. Stevens wrote her first single in her dorm at UCSC and has gone on to perform at a Warriors playoff game, open for Smokey Robinson, and hold a residency at the SF Jazz Festival.
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Alumnus John Kim receives multiple film festival selections for his debut independent feature film Reunion
John Kim’s (Porter ’84, creative writing and literature) debut independent feature film Reunion follows an Asian American funeral home worker who attends his high school reunion hoping to jump-start his life, only to be mistaken for a successful alumnus from another school—a billionaire whom no one has seen since graduation.
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Alumna Gillian Welch brings Dead-driven Acoustic Reckoning show to Quarry Amphitheater
A packed Quarry Amphitheater was filled with fresh interpretations of songs from across the Grateful Dead’s vast catalogue with audience members singing, dancing and cheering along
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Acclaimed astrophysicist and electric slam poet blend science and storytelling
Slam poet Jasmine Schlafke and UC Santa Cruz professor Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz blend science, poetry and storytelling to explore our deepest origins and shared humanity at the second annual Landesman Lecture on April 28.
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April in Santa Cruz: Experimental music festival explores new traditions
The annual April in Santa Cruz Festival of Creative Music (AiSC) returns this year with UC Santa Cruz faculty and graduate students, renowned guest artists, and several visiting artists.
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Making ethics accessible
Alumnus Tim Shannon (Cowell ’71, history) has philanthropically supported the Humanities at UC Santa Cruz for 15 years. His support of the Norcal Regional Highschool Ethics Bowl, hosted annually at UC Santa Cruz, has opened doors for public schools across the region.
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$2 million grant to propel UC Santa Cruz humanities careers
Since launching in 2023, the Employing Humanities initiative has provided hundreds of undergraduates with real-world work experience—as resource development coordinators, editorial writers, digital marketing interns, and archivists—that helps prepare them for impactful careers after they graduate. Underscoring the initiative’s impact, UCSC was just awarded a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.
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UCSC’s Right Livelihood Center empowers the next generation of activists
The Right Livelihood Center at UC Santa Cruz offers students a range of opportunities to connect with global visionaries. Students Natalie Capobres (Kresge ’26, environmental studies) and Kevin Lin (Kresge ’26, community studies) share their experiences.