celebrating black excellence

Black History Month

UC Merced’s Grad Slam Champion Explores Mucus-Fungus Battle Behind Valley Fever

April 15, 2026

Quantitative and Systems Biology Ph.D. student Tahirah Williams
Nervous but prepared, Tahirah Williams took the stage at UC Merced’s Grad Slam competition in March and delivered her three-minute talk, “More Than Slime: When Mucus Meets the Valley Fever Invader.” By day’s end, she had been announced as the university’s 12th Grad...

1300 Campaign Continues to Lift up Young Men of Color to Pursue Higher Education

Editor's note: In honor of Black History Month, the UC Merced newsroom is highlighting some of the organizations, services and people who serve or represent the Black community on campus. For...
A portrait of Charah Coleman, director of the UC Merced Black Alliance

Black Alliance at UC Merced Growing, Serving and Advocating

Editor's note: In honor of Black History Month, the UC Merced newsroom is highlighting some of the organizations, services and people who serve or represent the Black community on campus. An...
UC Merced Professor Maria Martin

Engaging the Black Community Inside, Outside UC Merced

Professor Maria Martin has a lot going on. On Feb. 18, she was the grand marshal and a speaker at a program and march honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in downtown Merced. This...
A student sits in a stairwell and smiles while holding a diploma cover.

Alumnus Shares His UC Merced Experiences to Guide Youth to College

While growing up in the Sacramento area, Donald Carter ('21) said he didn't see many people who looked like him pursuing higher education. As the oldest of four boys in a single-parent...
Ph.D. alumna Maxine Umeh-Garcia

Alumna Credits UC Merced for Inspiring Her Interest in Cancer Research

After transferring from a Sacramento community college to UC Merced in 2007, Maxine Umeh-Garcia was unsure of her future career. She admits she hadn’t looked at the majors the newest UC offered...

Okoli to UC Merced Students: ‘This is Your Place. This is Your Home’

University students deserve to feel welcome and safe in their home away from home. It’s a responsibility Daniel Okoli assumes without hesitation. He has designed countless physical spaces for...
Damilola Sule has been breaking basketball records at UC Merced.

Dami Sule, A Difference Maker

“Be Great Always” It’s a slogan that Damilola Sule and her family would like to trademark. The second-oldest of five Sule children, Damilola, or Dami, is a standout sophomore...
Members of the National Society of Black Engineers at UC Merced, which was established in 2007.

National Society of Black Engineers Fosters Student and Alumni Success

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields are particularly rigorous and demanding courses of study, and the difficulty for individuals pursuing degrees in these areas can be compounded...
Members of the UC Merced Black Student Coalition, which started in 2022.

Black Student Coalition Focuses on Mental Health, Is Open to All Students

When Stephen Smith got to UC Merced, he found several organizations aimed at helping Black students succeed. But he didn't find one specifically aimed at mental health. So, he started one....

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