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...

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...

UC Merced to Honor 11th Graduating Class at Commencement

This weekend, more than 900 degree candidates are expected to take part in the 11th commencement ceremonies at University of California, Merced, and commemorate the hard work that led to their...

Undocumented Student Makes History With Ph.D.

A doctoral degree is the culmination of years of study and hard work — a mark of determination, willpower and excellence in research and scholarship. For Quantitative and Systems Biology graduate...

Long-Standing Series Introduces Local Kids to Opera

Thousands of Merced County schoolchildren will be introduced to the wonders of opera this month during the latest entry in the long-running Children’s Opera series at UC Merced. Co-produced by UC...

Campus Hosts First UC-Wide Chess Tournament

Chess players from across the UC system— ranging from beginners to international masters — convened for the 2016 UC Chess Championship held April 23 at the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation Center ...

Two Alumni Create Legacies Through Scholarship Endowments

Jessica “JaeJae” Julian (2010) and Marko Zivanovic (2014) are proving that giving back shortly after graduation can be possible. During the campus’s Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts last December...

Bad Break Left Alum With Questions; UC Merced Answered

Erik Olstad started down the path to becoming a veterinarian by accident. After high school, the now 32-year-old attended California State University, Fresno, to get a political science degree. But...

Student Volunteers Work With Local Emergency Department

In Fall 2007, Maricela Rangel-Garcia became one of the first UC Merced students to sign up for a new, non-clinical volunteer program in the busy Mercy Medical Center Emergency Department (ED). Her...

Community Group Recognized for Charitable Work

The UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees recently honored the University Friends Circle (UFC) for its philanthropic efforts. Each year, the board honors a philanthropic leader — or in this year’s...