Student Life

New Bobcat Pursues Public Health and Passion for Performing

July 16, 2025

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Trinity King is coming to UC Merced with dreams of shining both as a performer and in the health care world. She’s excited to blend her love for dance with her academic journey as a public...

Love of Music Continues to Drive Alum’s Career in Social Media

Shavone Charles is combining her love of music and technology to blaze a new trail in social media. Charles graduated from UC Merced in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Cultures,...

Take a Stand Against Domestic Violence

To commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month, UC Merced’s Campus, Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE) Office is hosting events throughout October. According to a survey by the National...

Busy Weekend Planned for Prospective Students, Families, Alumni

Each fall, UC Merced opens its doors to the community to show what takes place on a research university campus. During Preview Day — scheduled for Oct. 17 — UC Merced welcomes hundreds of high school...

Despite Constraints, UC Merced Enrollment Continues to Grow

Enrollment at the University of California, Merced, this fall has climbed to another all-time high of 6,685 students — an increase of 6.7 percent over Fall 2014, according to headcount figures...

Program Makes Transition Easier for Transfer Students

Four weeks after her move to UC Merced in January 2014, psychology major Valara Villanueva wasn’t sure if she fit in. She felt academically prepared, but the transition from community college to a...

5K Run to Support Scholarships, Celebrate Campus Anniversary

The UC Merced Alumni Association and Athletics and Recreation will host the inaugural UC Merced Journey 5K Fund Run on Sept. 5 to celebrate the campus’s 10th anniversary. Current students, staff and...

Alumnus Takes Trailblazing Spirit to Washington

David Do sits in his office in Washington, D.C. — nearly 3,000 miles from UC Merced — reflecting on the path he’s cut for himself. Do, who now serves as director of the city’s Office of Asian and...

Sustainability Ideas Lead to Award-Winning Proposal

Undergraduate student Andrew John De Los Santos wasn’t passionate about sustainability until he started sorting through trash as a recycling and composting intern at UC Merced last fall. While...

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...