School of Social Sciences Humanities and Arts

First-generation Students Shine at UC Merced. This Week Celebrates Them

November 3, 2025

UC Merced Professor Rose Scott, student Narciso Martinez Solorio

More than six in 10 UC Merced undergraduates are the first in their families to attend a university. The national average for four-year universities is about two in 10. Opening doors to opportunity for first-generation students is infused into UC Merced’s DNA. Young people who had little...

Interdisciplinary Spirit Pays Off for Grad Student

One of the things that attracted Chelsea Coe to UC Merced as an undergraduate student was the opportunity to do research. She transferred to UC Merced during her junior year and worked in Professor...

Chemistry Researcher Awarded Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

Researcher Makenzie Provorse parlayed her passion for computational chemistry into a position as UC Merced’s second Chancellor’s Postdoctoral fellow. As a runner up for the Presidential Postdoctoral...

Political Science Grad Gaining Capital Experience

Baltazar Cornejo is poised to become a strong and tireless advocate for the Central Valley, thanks to a fellowship program that provides real-world experience in state government. Born in Modesto to...

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...

Mentoring Program Empowers Student Leaders

For senior Jessica Nguyen, UC Merced has fueled more than academic preparedness — it has sparked her fervent interest in civic leadership. Nguyen has been involved in the Women’s Program’s Lift While...

Campus Celebrates 10th Annual Leadership Awards

The 2015 UC Merced Leadership Awards were held this evening (April 30) at the Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater. Presented by the Margo F. Souza Student Leadership Center, the awards recognize and celebrate...

Grad Student Examines Use of Social Media in Health Care

The use of images and direct questions by health communicators on Facebook tends to increase user engagement, though linking to external websites and videos does not. Posts conveying positive...

Peer Learning Support Boosts Student Success

From the moment students walk onto campus, they have access to countless resources, including the Peer Assisted Support Learning Support (PALS) program, which is part of the Calvin E. Bright Success ...

Journalist to Speak on Immigration at Campus Conference

Journalist Roberto Lovato will give the keynote address this week at “Blurring the Border: Deporting Denizens in the 21st Century,” an interdisciplinary conference on immigration, deportation and...