Student & Alumni Success

Student Finds Community and Purpose Through Culture and Literature

March 12, 2026

Student stands outdoors on the UC Merced campus holding a notebook and pen, looking off into the distance near a campus walkway lined with leafless trees.

Between classes at UC Merced, you will often find Padme James under the trees outside the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library. What she studies there isn’t directly correlated to her classwork, but it connects her roots to where she hopes her future is headed. Instead of reviewing notes for a...

Male Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate student Ivan G. Soto

UC Merced Alums, Students Earn Prestigious Fellowships

A half-dozen UC Merced students and alumni are recipients of significant fellowships to help support their graduate education. “We’re extremely proud of our undergraduate and graduate...

UC Merced Teams Up with Globe Theatre for Shakespeare and Climate Emergency Conference

A major international conference looking at the relationships between William Shakespeare's works and the current climate crisis will soon get underway. UC Merced is co-hosting the virtual event...

Undergraduate Experience: Habibatu Mboka

Name: Habibatu Mboka Year: Graduating May 2021, School of Engineering Commencement Student Speaker Major: Computer Science and Engineering Hometown: Turlock What clubs or...

Undergraduate Experience: Alisha Nesslage

Name: Alisha Nesslage Year: Third Majors: Philosophy and Political Science Hometown: Denair What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced? The most...

Undergraduate Experience: Christopher Moreno

Name: Christopher Thomas Moreno Year: Fourth Year Major: Political Science Hometown: Bay Area (West – San Mateo; East – Union City) What are some memorable projects you have...

Five Years in, CCBM Looking to Expand Research and Student Opportunities

From graduate student Jose Zamora’s perspective, the CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines (CCBM) has been a spectacular success. “There is so much value to being part...

Undergraduate Experience: Cathryn Flores

Name: Cathryn Flores Year: Third year Major: English, minor in Writing Hometown: Fremont What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced? The...

Undergraduate Experience: Michael Aquino

Name: Michael David Aquino Year: Fourth Major: Sociology Hometown: Los Angeles What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced? A memorable project that I...

Undergrad Experience: Diana Cruz Garcia

Name: Diana Cruz Garcia Year: Fourth Year Major: Bioengineering Hometown: Los Angeles What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced? The most memorable...