Aggie Pride is a lifelong phenomenon, but this month that pride swells to fill an entire arena as thousands of graduating students walk across the commencement stage at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento to become our newest alumni.
Students, alumni, family and friends have so many reasons to celebrate — from those newly completed degrees to a growing recognition of the excellence of an education at the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis.
Many of our programs are among the top in the nation. Among top-25 rankings in U.S. News and World Report lists of “Best Graduate Programs” in recent years are psychology (12), statistics (13), earth sciences (14), fine arts (15), geology (16), history (24) and political science (25). Our undergraduate majors are among the most popular on campus, with psychology No. 1 and three others — economics, communication and political science — in the top 10.
We’re going strong on a campus that is ranked first in the nation for diversity,
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inclusiveness and internationalization, first for campus sustainability, and second for social mobility. UC Davis is 11th overall among public universities.
The accomplishments and support of alumni like you contribute to our rising reputation. We highlight here a few ways our alumni are making a difference in the world. Please let us know your news.
Sincerely,
Estella Atekwana, Dean
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Oh, the Places They'll Go!
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Serving the Community
With more than two decades as a prosecutor under his belt, Thien Ho (B.A., political science, ’95) is no stranger to putting people behind bars. But as Sacramento County’s newest district attorney, he said he hopes to focus on building relationships with the community. “We all deserve to feel safe...” he said in a recent interview.
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Extreme Environment Explorer
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Student-to-Student Connections
A new program in the College of Letters and Science helps first-year and transfer students thrive by matching them with the experts on navigating life at UC Davis — upperclass students. Read about the Peer Mentor Program that both mentors and mentees say improves their sense of belonging.
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Social Networking
Economics graduate student Gil do Vigor has than 14 million Instagram followers and 3 million Twitter followers after appearing on a reality show in his native Brazil. He hopes to use his star power to convey his research. “I prefer to use my social media to let people know the results that people are finding, and what I’m finding, too," he recently told UC Davis Magazine.
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An Eye for Deeper Beauty
Photographer David Suh (B.A., design, ’17): has more than 4.4 million followers and 115.9 million likes on TikTok, where he shares tips on how to feel confident in front of a camera. Suh told UC Davis Magazine that he approaches photography with the problem-solving mindset he learned as a design major.
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VIDEO: Earthquake ‘Nowcasting’
For decades, earthquake researchers have explored various methods attempting to tackle the question of earthquake prediction. Distinguished Professor John Rundle talks in a video interview about exploring “nowcasting,” which uses methods inspired from the fields of finance, economics and meteorology to determine the earthquake potential of a region through time.
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A New Twist on Human Origins
In testing the genetic material of current populations in Africa and comparing against existing fossil evidence of early Homo sapiens populations there, researchers have uncovered a new model of human evolution — overturning previous beliefs that a single African population gave rise to all humans. Read about the study.
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Death’s Futurity : The Visual Life of Black Power, by Sampada Aranke (Ph.D., performance studies, ’13), examines posters, photographs, journalism and films that focus on the murders of Black Panther Party members Lil’ Bobby Hutton, Fred Hampton and George Jackson to construct a visual history of the 1960s and 1970s Black Power era. Aranka is an assistant professor of art history, theory and criticism at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago.
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Chelsea T. Hicks (M.A., creative writing, '17) was named one of the National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honorees, selected for debut work that promises to leave a lasting impression on the literary landscape. She is the author of short-story collection A Calm & Normal Heart.
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When Olga Duncan was murdered in Ventura, California, Deborah Holt Larkin (B.A., American studies, ’70) was 10 years old and the daughter of a reporter who covered the case. Larkin drew upon her memories and years of research to write a book about the crime and the conviction of Duncan’s mother-in-law, Elizabeth, the last woman executed in California. Read an interview with the author of A Lovely Girl.
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Kat Out of the Bag, a mystery by Wendy Kendall (B.A., English and political science, ’79) first published in 2020 by The Wild Rose Press, will also be distributed with HarperCollins Publishers in December. Her five books are listed on her Amazon author page and her website.
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A movie based on the historical novel On Swift Horses, by Shannon Pufahl (Ph.D., English, ’20), is in the works. Two of the film's producers are Academy Award winners. Pufahl, who teaches creative writing at Stanford University, recently talked with the Topeka Capitol-Journal about her debut novel and the upcoming film.
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Kara Branch (M.F.A., dramatic arts, ‘11) was nominated for a 2023 Drama Desk Award for her costume design for According to the Chorus, presented off-Broadway in New York by the New Light Theater Project.
Raquelmarie Clark (B.A., communication, ’08) was honored by the Solano Commission for Women and Girls as a 2023 Solano County Woman of the Year. She is the founder of nonprofit We Always Help Each Other (WAHEO), which was previously featured in Letters and Science Magazine.
JR De Guzman (B.A., psychology, ’12) talked with Esquire magazine about his Filipino roots and comedy career.
A new study by Raven Garvey (M.A. '07, Ph.D. ’12, anthropology), associate professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, paints a more complicated picture of how Ice Age foragers got their carbs and its influence on male and female hunting/gathering roles.
A "Where Are They Now?" article in UC Davis Magazine’s 40th anniversary issue leads with San Francisco Giants reporter Amy (U’Ren) Gutierrez (B.A., rhetoric and communication, ’95). Others mentioned are:
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Angel Martinez (B.A., rhetoric, ’77), former executive of Deckers Brand shoes.
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Former U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (B.A., political science, ’72).
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Bob Warren (B.A., individual, ’58), son of former Chief Justice Earl Warren.
Hien Huynh (B.A., theatre and dance, ‘15) appeared in Lemongrass & Anise, a performance featuring two generations of a Vietnamese American family in May at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
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Lynn La (B.A., political science and English, ’09) joined Cal Matters as writer for its WhatMatters newsletter.
PBS News Hour interviewed Alex Mayer (Ph.D., political science, ’11), postsecondary education director for nonprofit MDRC, about his research on a program that has increased community college graduation rates.
Comstock Magazine featured two College alumnae in its Women in Leadership series:
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Carrie Lane (B.A., psychology and sociology, ’90), CEO of the California Association for Highway Patrolmen.
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Risa Omega (B.A., rhetoric and communication, ’88), ABC10 president and general manager.
Artist Betty Nelsen (M.F.A., art, ’81) recently talked with Comstock's Magazine about returning, after a 40-year-gap, to drawing self-portraits.
Sacramento news publication Capitol Weekly featured Kimberly Yareni Sanchez (B.A., political science, '21) as part of its “Rising Stars” series. Sanchez is education policy analyst for nonprofit advocacy group NextGen Policy.
Vonn Cummings Sumner (B.A., art studio, ’98, M.F.A., ’00) talked with Creative Boon about how he found inspiration in the cartoon strip character Krazy Kat while taking a UC Davis art class from the late Wayne Thiebaud. Sumner revisited Krazy Kat in a solo exhibition of his paintings this spring in Washington, D.C.
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John Iacovelli, a professor emeritus of theatre and dance and an Emmy Award-winning artist, died in April. He was 64. He co-created UC Davis' Master of Fine Arts program in theatre design. Read more about his life.
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WIRED
Gregory Clark, professor of economics
Yahoo Entertainment
Laura Grindstaff, professor of sociology
C-Span
Kathryn Olmstead, professor of history and department chair of gender, sexuality and women's studies
New York Post
David Olson, associate professor of chemistry and director of the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics
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The Week
Nicholas Pinter, Roy J. Shlemon Professor of Applied Geosciences
The Washington Post
Nicole Ranganath, assistant professor of Middle East and South Asia studies
Daily Kos
Matthew Shugart, Distinguished Professor of Political Science
ScienceNews
Teresa Steele, professor of anthropology
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