Community Service

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service: A Day On, Not a Day Off

January 15, 2026

UC Merced students shown leading the MLK Jr Day Unity march.

UC Merced will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting a day of action, inviting the campus and community to serve together on Monday, Jan. 19. In keeping with King’s call to build a “beloved community,” UC Merced’s Community Engagement Center is inviting...

Alumni Support Community Trunk or Treat Event

Members of the UC Merced Alumni Association’s Alumni Campus Employees (ACE) chapter stepped up this Halloween to help with the annual Boys and Girls Club Trunk or Treat event, a safe alternative to...

Project Aims to Fight Breast Cancer One Message at a Time

Research indicates that obesity can increase a woman’s risk of developing and dying from breast cancer. But while communication about healthy eating has proven to be effective, a growing and...

Alumni Bridge the Gap Through City Year Service

The concept of taking a “gap year” is gaining steam in the U.S. Typically done between high school and college, these sabbaticals can also occur in the space between graduating college and entering...

‘Light Up the Lantern’ to Raise Funds for At-Risk Youth

The UC Merced Police Department will host its annual Light Up the Lantern event on Sept. 19 to support the campus’s Police Mentor Program. In 2006, UC Merced police officers formed a partnership with...

Alumnus Takes Trailblazing Spirit to Washington

David Do sits in his office in Washington, D.C. — nearly 3,000 miles from UC Merced — reflecting on the path he’s cut for himself. Do, who now serves as director of the city’s Office of Asian and...

Local Students Gain Lab Experience in Summer Program

As a high school student in Merced, Ana Arteaga didn’t know which academic path she would choose in college. But her route became clear after she spent two summers in a chemistry lab at UC Merced. In...

Student Teams Win Cash Prizes at Innovate to Grow

The winners of this year’s Innovate to Grow competition have been announced. The event includes three components: The Mobile App Challenge, the Capstone competition for senior Innovation and Design...

Campus to Mark Milestone with 10th Graduating Class

When students walk across the stage at this weekend’s commencement ceremonies at the University of California, Merced, they will join the nearly 4,000 scholars who have earned degrees from the...

Innovate to Grow Promises Exciting Developments

Innovate to Grow, the annual showcase of UC Merced student creativity, features some amazing teamwork this year, from medical and agricultural devices to mobile applications for saving energy and ...