Brenda Ortiz

Students Awarded Prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

June 4, 2025

Two UC Merced graduate students wearing blue

Two UC Merced graduate students and an alum from the School of Natural Sciences were recently awarded fellowships from the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. This year, NSF awarded 1,000 GRFP fellowships compared to about 2,000 in previous years...

New Academic Year Brings New Faces, Opportunities

More than 2,200 students — many entering their first year at UC Merced — arrived last weekend in cars, trucks and minivans packed to the gills with living essentials from clothing and...

Young man sitting against the wall with head down and laptop computer open on lap

Emergency Fund Offers Hope to Students in a Bind

Karen Merritt came from a family without much money. Like nearly 90 percent of UC Merced’s students, financial aid made her college dreams a reality. However, she quickly learned the costs of...

Pioneering Alumna Embraces Career in Immigration Law

UC Merced alumna Linda Barreto always wanted to become a lawyer, but an experience in college helped reinforce her career path. While driving, Barreto was pulled over and cited for failing to...

Campus Launches Countywide Food and Ag Exchange

UC Merced is taking steps to fight hunger and tackle food waste on campus and across Merced County. The campus has launched CropMobster Merced County, an online food and agricultural exchange and...

Prachumsri Named Men’s Volleyball Coach

UC Merced’s Athletics Department has hired women's volleyball coach and alumnus Surabordin “Ai” Prachumsri as the men's volleyball head coach. He will remain coach of the women’s team, as well. After...

Golf Fundraiser Catapults to New Record

The seventh annual Building Future Champions Dinner and Auction and the 20th annual Ma Kelley Memorial Shoot-Out golf tournament, held over two days last month at the Turlock Golf and Country Club,...

Governor Names Harris to Fair Employment and Housing Council

Mark T. Harris, J.D., has been appointed to the California Fair Employment and Housing Council by Gov. Jerry Brown. Harris is a continuing lecturer of management and business economics at UC Merced...

EECU Gift Helps Enrich Valley Teachers

Dozens of educators took part in the CalTeach Professional Development Summer Institute for Valley Teachers last year, and thanks to another generous gift from Educational Employees Credit Union (...

Campus Marks Largest Class, Year of Growth With 2017 Commencement

More than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to participate in the University of California, Merced’s 12th commencement ceremonies this weekend — its largest class since opening...