Student & Alumni Success

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...

A large group of UC Merced Extension students holding up their certificates is pictured.

Community Health Worker Program Celebrates First Graduates

The region has nearly 170 newly certified community health workers after the first cohort completed a specialized training program at UC Merced. Graduates of the training, offered through the...

Interdisciplinary Humanities Ph.D. graduate Nicolette Lecy and her 4-year-old son, Alejandro

Humanities Grad Student Advocates for Student Parents

When Nicolette Lecy began her graduate studies at UC Merced, life was anything but typical. It was August 2020, in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lecy’s classes were held remotely, and...

‘Queen of the Court’ Ready to Make Her Mark at UC Merced

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Michailla Springs led her high school basketball team in scoring and earned MVP honors. With a...

Photo depicts Brian O'Bruba, assistant vice chancellor at UC Merced, and student Tatiana Howell in graduation cap and gown.

UC Investment Academy Propels Students to Financial Career Success

This summer, 2024 UC Merced graduate Tatiana Howell is set to begin working as a wealth management analyst with Goldman Sachs. She got the job through tenacity, a strong work ethic and participation...

Graphic depicts a photo of Leslie Perez-Cruz with text reading "Bobcat Bound"

Honors Student from Merced Ready for Next Big Step

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Leslie Perez-Cruz will start at UC Merced with several accomplishments already under her...

Photo depicts UC Merced student Jesse Martinez operating a robot on the Experimental Smart Farm.

UC Merced's Smart Farm Abuzz with Activity

At UC Merced's biggest lab, students work from before sunrise to well after dusk. They are operating the university's Experimental Smart Farm, 40 acres of dirt and plants, research and...

Photo depicts the reservoir at the UC Merced Experimental Smart Farm.

Idea for Powering UC Merced Smart Farm a Winner in Solar Energy Contest

A UC Merced team competing in a U.S. Department of Energy contest won its division with a proposal to use floating solar panels to power the campus's Experimental Smart Farm. The Solar...

Photo depicts UC Merced graduate Adamaris Alvarez in a black hat on a blue and gold graphic background.

From Strawberries to Smart Farm: Alum Adamaris Alvarez Grows Passion into a Career Path

Growing up in Watsonville, a vibrant agricultural community on California's Central Coast, Adamaris Alvarez always knew she wanted to work in agriculture. She worked on her family's berry...

From Dreams to Degrees: Graduates Celebrate with Scholarship Donors

UC Merced’s graduating Class of 2025 recently celebrated its achievement at the campus’s spring commencement, joined by family members, close friends and loved ones. For two graduates...

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