Casual Astronaut
Meet the 30 Incoming Recipients of the 2021–22 African American Initiative Scholarship
For the 2021–2022 academic year, 30 additional students will receive the AAI Scholarship. This year’s recipients come from all around the world, including 27 students from California.
In Pandemic Year, Alumni Find Virtual Spirit
In a year marked by physical and often emotional isolation, the Cal alumni community found new ways to connect to each other and to the university. Robust virtual programs engaged more than 9,000 UC Berkeley alumni in activities that inspired our Cal spirit anew.
11 Shuttered Berkeley Establishments Cal Alumni Still Cry Over
Time has changed the foodscape around campus, and many a student's old haunts are no longer in business. Here are 11 Berkeley institutions whose closures made alumni weep.
A Pathway to Success
“Where are you from?” seems like such an innocuous question. It’s a question asked to get to know someone or just make small talk. But for undocumented individuals, it’s a heavy question that doesn’t always have an easy answer.
After a Year of Online Instruction, Raven Gatson Refocuses Her Goals
Raven Gatson has been living with her sorority sisters near the UC Berkeley campus since January 2021. It’s the first time she’s been on campus. The buildings are still closed, but she’s able to walk around and imagine a bustling Sproul Plaza at noon. At last, after years of planning for college, she was at the school for her.
For Gabby Cole ’05, Self-Care Is Following Your Dreams
I knew then—and I am even more sure of it now—that the path to the real me was through Cal. It was challenging, but no one grows in their comfort zone.
UC Berkeley Alumni Celebrate Juneteenth
On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1963. Here's how Berkeley honored the day.
‘Not Easy, Not Impossible’ Path to Careers for Undocumented Students
“Things are not always going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean that they’re impossible,” says Uriel Rivera ’15. His workshop series examines the stigmas undocumented students face, helping them demystify life after graduation.
2021’s Best and Brightest Alumni, Faculty Honored at Berkeley Charter Gala
In partnership with the UC Berkeley Foundation, the Cal Alumni Association honored this year’s Achievement Award recipients at the all-virtual Berkeley Charter Gala on May 13, 2021. Get to know the esteemed award recipients—alumni and faculty who are pushing through the boundaries of what’s possible.
Kai Mai ’01 Bridges the Gap Between Students and Alumni
I was a transfer student from the City College of San Francisco. Coming to Berkeley was a huge shock for me, and everyone seemed smarter than me. I remember that my introductory computer science classes had a few hundred students. I spent a lot of time in Cory Hall and Soda Hall and pulled a few all-nighters. Looking back, I wish I had engaged with other aspects of campus life more.
“Pursue Your Dreams Fearlessly”: An Entrepreneur’s Wisdom for Graduating Scholars
Ten years ago, I was exactly where you are right now: graduating with big dreams and aspirations ahead.
Advice for the Class of 2021: “Carry Berkeley With You”
After a long journey filled to the brim with unexpected twists and turns, the time has finally arrived for UC Berkeley’s Class of 2021 to graduate. Years of growth and transformation, beginning with the seemingly distant days of anxiously waiting for college acceptances, campus tours, and that fateful commitment to Cal, are now coming to an end under challenging circumstances that still feel unusual after all this time.
