San Joaquin Valley

For Turlock High Grad, UC Merced is Just Far Enough from Home

March 6, 2026

Breyenne Pierce, a utility player on the water polo team, demonstrates her skills.

Breyenne Pierce wasn't sure UC Merced was for her. The Turlock High graduate had followed her passion for water polo to Sierra College in Rocklin. As she was concluding her community college experience, she started looking for a four-year university to complete her degree. "Honestly...

UC Merced Students Get Firsthand Political Experience at California Legislature

After taking part in the UC Merced Center for Analytic Political Engagement 's inaugural legislative boot camp, students say they are better prepared to take on the first internships of their...

Clovis Native Excited to Represent the Central Valley Playing for UC Merced Volleyball Team

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2023 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats. When Clovis native and lifelong volleyball player Morgan Wilson...

UC Merced graduate student Josiah Beharry appointed as 2024-25 UC student Regent

The University of California Board of Regents has appointed University of California, Merced graduate student Josiah Beharry to be the 2024-25 student Regent. Beharry is the 50th student...

UC Merced, Yosemite Community College District Launch Transfer Program

UC Merced and the Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) have partnered to further extend access for transfer students in the Central Valley. By signing the Merced Promise Pathway Program...

Hayden Elliott of Turlock will start at UC Merced in the fall.

New Bobcat Brings Wealth of Experience to College Career

Incoming first-year student Hayden Elliott will hit the UC Merced campus this fall with quite a bit of college already under his belt. A 2023 graduate of Turlock High School, Elliott has earned...

Native Nights to Showcase Indigenous Culture at UC Merced

Indigenous drumming, storytelling and art will be on full display at UC Merced during the inaugural Native Nights event. The UC Merced Native and Indigenous Student Coalition (NISC) is...

Two students pose for a photo in the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad at UC Merced.

Orosi Friends Seek Community, Diversity and the Written Word at UC Merced

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2023 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats. With a population of about 8,700 people, the Tulare County town of...

Sharim’s New Photo Essay Reveals Night in Merced County

Global Arts Studies Professor Yehuda Sharim has published a new photo essay, “A Map of Light,” on the University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)’s digital...

Dolores Huerta to Give Lecture at UC Merced

The UC Merced Center for the Humanities is hosting activist and labor leader Dolores Huerta for its Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities. The free event is scheduled for Monday, May 1, at...