Alumni

Student Philanthropy Month Returns to UC Merced with Focus on Service and Giving

March 11, 2026

Six UC Merced students pose in front of a University of California, Merced backdrop, smiling and holding blue-and-gold pennants that read “UC Merced Alumni” and “UC Merced.”

Student Philanthropy Month, now in its fifth consecutive year, gives students opportunities throughout March to better understand philanthropy and its impact on the university, the community and beyond. UC Merced Alumni Relations, in partnership with the UC Merced Student Alumni Association, is...

Now a Dentist, Alum Embodied Campus’s Founding Spirit

Looking back on his years as one of the first students at UC Merced, Vinh Vo remembers how the brand-new university served him not only as a student, but also by preparing him for graduate school and...

Young Students a Glimpse of College Life, Leadership

Ke-Myrion Anderson had never set foot on college campus before he spent a week at UC Merced in July. The Fresno eighth-grader was one of 150 students from across California who were invited to live...

Alumna Stays Local, Pledges to Serve the Underserved

When she began her journey at UC Merced, Sheena Truong had the future planned out. She’d graduate, go to dental school and become an orthodontist. But Merced had more to offer — and in a roundabout...

Alumnus Named Women's Volleyball Coach

Surabordin “Ai” Prachumsri has been hired to take the helm as UC Merced’s second head coach in women's volleyball and the first alumnus to become a head coach for the campus. Prachumsri brings a...

Alumnus Expands Science Literacy Nonprofit to South America

A science literacy nonprofit created by UC Merced students is gaining an international foothold with planned expansion into classrooms in Ecuador. Growth is nothing new for BEAT — short for Biology,...

Alumnus Finds His Purpose in Education

Editor's note: The following story appeared in the spring issue of UC Merced Magazine. When Abraham Olivares moved to Merced at age 20, a career in education was the furthest thing from his mind....

Dedicated Student Breaks Ground With Ph.D., Autism Research

When Nikko Da Paz decided to go to graduate school, she didn’t limit herself to one degree — or even one campus. The mother of two young children with autism enrolled at UC Merced in 2011, and in May...

Collaboration Aims to Increase Fresno Students’ Success

Building on an existing seven-year partnership with UC Merced, the Fresno Unified School District is spearheading an innovative collaboration to increase the number of its students who complete their...

CalTeach Students to Graduate With Degrees, Credentials

Stephanie Ruiz and Carisza Lenaburg will be among the many UC Merced students earning bachelor’s degrees at this weekend’s commencement ceremonies. Unlike their fellow graduates, however, Ruiz and...