Student & Alumni Success

UC Merced Alum, Now a Robotics Expert for Amazon, Advises Students to Get Their Hands Dirty

January 6, 2026

Kevin Arrieta is pictured speaking to an electrical engineering class at UC Merced.

Kevin Arrieta got into robotics to avoid getting into trouble. Arrieta said he joined the robotics club at his Compton high school after the teacher who ran it gave him an ultimatum. "I had gotten in with the wrong crowd," he said. "I had a physics teacher who told me, '...

A Dream Come True: Bobcat Plays for Fiji National Soccer Team

Between academic semesters and collegiate soccer seasons, UC Merced standout defender Preeya Singh is representing Fiji on the world stage. Over the past eight months, Singh has played in multiple...

UC Merced students look at high-speed rail tracks during a site visit.

High-Speed Rail, High-Quality Jobs: Career Trek Shows Students Opportunities

California high-speed rail, a multibillion-dollar project designed to connect the Central Valley to Los Angeles and the Bay Area, promises swift transportation, the protection of agricultural land...

UC Merced Director of Admissions Dustin Noji and PUSD Superintendent Nate Nelson shake hands at a signing ceremony in the PUSD Board Room.

UC Merced Expands Automatic Admission Opportunity for Porterville Students

A new partnership between UC Merced and Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) will guarantee admissions for qualifying incoming students. Through the Merced Automatic Admissions Program...

UC Merced Children's Opera "Panic in the Barnyard"

Free Performance Takes Opera Down to the Farm

UC Merced Arts invites everyone to a free performance that serves up whimsy, interactive fun and an inspiring message with a big helping of … operatic singing.  “Panic in the...

Graduating students honored by UC Merced

SSHA Honors Outstanding Graduating Students

ul { font: normal .9em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } ul p { font: normal .9em Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } Thirteen graduating students were honored by UC Merced’s School...

UC Merced athletes Alexandra Lopez and Brycen Miller, and athletics director David Dunham

UC Merced Student-athletes, AD Earn Top Cal Pac Honors

UC Merced has earned a trio of top athletic year-end honors from the California Pacific Conference. Alexandra Lopez and Brycen Miller were named female and male Scholar-Athletes of the Year,...

My UC Merced Journey, Class of 2024

As senior Bobcats prepare to walk the stage this weekend, we asked them to reflect on their own personal journeys at UC Merced. In response, we received stories of growth, self-exploration ...

Advisor and student of Undergraduate Research Journal

Happy Birthday to Undergrad Journals that Spark Students’ Aspirations

It’s a pair of special birthdays for UC Merced’s two student-run journals for undergraduates. The Vernal Pool , which publishes creative stories, poems and images, turned 10 this...

Student Production of ’26 Pebbles’ Encircles Tragedy with Healing and Hope

It is impossible to avoid — the real-life event that frames the play “26 Pebbles” is disturbing. Heartbreaking. Which makes all the more remarkable the play’s uplifting...

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