Sarah Juckniess
Bears in Business: Jamba Dunn’s Plant-Based Kombucha Is Cultivating Change
Originally from Southern California, Jamba Dunn ’97 transferred to Berkeley hoping to study sociology, which led to an interest in Egyptology and Near East studies.
From Cal to the Capital, How Ben de Guzman ’94 Stays Connected
In the classroom, I was try-lingual: I “tried” to speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog. I took a two-year course at Berkeley and got accepted into a language immersion program in the Philippines. I was able to explore my identity through organizations like the Pilipino American Alliance, where I learned to be a student organizer and fight for racial and educational equity issues. As an athlete, I competed as a member of the Cal Men’s Volleyball Club and ran the volleyball program at Cal Intramural Sports.
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.
A Moment for Healing, a Time for Action
In May of 2020 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, in the regular course of her day, saw police activity and then saw a man in pain. She stopped, pulled out her cell phone, and began recording. During the trial, Ms. Frazier expressed, “When I think of George Floyd, I see my father, my brothers, my cousin, my uncle. They are all Black. It could have been them.”
Offer: Accepted? Alumni Encourage Students to Choose Cal at Virtual “Yield” Events
During Yield, the Berkeley community engages with newly admitted students and helps them feel welcome at Cal so that they can feel confident in choosing UC Berkeley. Students participate in lectures and panels and attend department-led information sessions.
Perspectives, Shared: On Anti-AAPI Hate and the Movement for Change
How do we understand collective experience when we spend so much time sequestered these days? Several UC Berkeley alumni and faculty have shared their expertise and perspectives on racism against AAPI communities. These stories live at the intersection of academics and identity, and we invite you to read and listen to their contributions to the global dialogue.
Susan Lin ’00, MFA
Susan R. Lin ’00 (BA, mass communications) has been named Master of Wine by the Institute of Masters of Wine. The Master of Wine credential is recognized globally for the highest standards of rigor in its holistic examination of all aspects of wine. Lin joins a prestigious group of 418 Masters of Wine around the […]
The Berkeley Changemaker: How Leaders Set Winning Culture
As a continuation of its partnership with Berkeley Changemaker™, the Cal Alumni Association held The Berkeley Changemaker Workshop: How Leaders Set Winning Culture! for its current Alumni Scholars. The workshop was facilitated by Rich Lyons, UC Berkeley’s first-ever chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer. Lyons, a Berkeley Changemaker faculty member, previously served as the dean of […]
Cal Connections: Regina Jackson ’84
I was a transfer student from the College of Alameda. I found an incredibly supportive academic home with the support of Dean of Student Services Michelle Woods, and many African American professors, including Harry Edwards, Barbara Cristian, and Percy Hintzen. I sang in the gospel choir and was a featured soloist during the 1984 Black Graduation, singing Irene Cara’s “Out Here On My Own” from the film Fame. Back then, [African Americans] were 3% of the student body.
Good News from Berkeley: November 18, 2020
The University of California has adopted systemwide gender identity and lived name options for UC-issued documents and information systems; milestones in Berkeley and Sacramento with ripples reaching far beyond.
Tour Lecturers’ All-Time Favorite Travel Books
By Cal Discoveries TravelTravel the world without leaving the page. Our esteemed Tour Lecturers share their favorite travel reading selections with you.
Ashneel Pratap’s “let there be light” moment
At 15, I realized that my grandmother was completely illiterate, my parents didn’t have a proper education, and that we had slavery in our family. I began to learn about how Indian slavery occurred up until the 1950s and how my own grandmother was in bondage all the way up to this time. I learned about how political strife led to the deaths of thousands of my ancestors. And finally when I was 20, did I realize the impact my ancestral history was having on me this whole time. I felt as though I couldn’t attend a prestigious university like Cal, that maybe I should just work in a labor profession, just like my parents and those before me. All of this changed when a cousin of mine said, “Why don’t you apply to Cal? Why don’t you try for Cal?”