News

Nia Novella Jones is working to be the change and build environmental leaders.

By Nia Coats

Environmental advocacy became a major part of Jones’ career when she recognized the disparities in retention of Black environmentalists in her field. She saw it as her duty to be the change she wanted to see.

Berkeley Forward Recap: Democratizing AI Through Platforms

By Urja Upadhyaya

Democratizing AI begins with people, not just platforms. Through stories of open access, invention, and dedication, the Berkeley Forward panel explored how technology grows stronger when more voices can shape it.

Carrying the Roots Forward: How Daniela Bazán Shapes Napa Valley’s Future Through Heritage, Community, and the Cal Lens

By Urja Upadhyaya

As a first-generation Cal alum, Daniela Bazán ’09 returned to Napa with a renewed sense of purpose, bridging her family’s Oaxacan legacy, sustainable land stewardship, and deep advocacy for farmworkers. Her story traces how Berkeley shaped the values she now carries into the heart of Napa Valley’s wine community.

Marlene Watson: Building Futures, Honoring Roots, and Reshaping Pathways in STEM

By Urja Upadhyaya

Raised in Oakland and influenced by relatives on the Navajo Nation, Marlene Watson turned an eight-year-old’s promise into a life of engineering leadership and service. From navigating unequal math access to shaping Tribal infrastructure, her path reflects resilience, cultural strength, and a dedication to uplifting Native communities through STEM.

Cal Connection – The Mission of CAA

This year, the Cal Alumni Association leaned into a shared aspiration: becoming the #1 alumni association for the #1 public university. Interim Executive Director Kirk Tramble shares the plan.

Rewriting the Money Rules: Gen Z Alum Lillian Zhang ’22 Returns to Campus

By Urja Upadhyaya

Cal alum and author Lillian Zhang ’22 returned to Alumni House to unpack the personal journey and Gen Z-driven insights behind her book, The New Money Rules. The evening brought students and alums together for candid conversations on money, community, and building financial confidence.

Professor Latinx: Frederick Luis Aldama on Story, Justice, and the Worlds We Build

By Urja Upadhyaya

For Frederick Luis Aldama ’92, storytelling is more than art, it’s architecture for visibility and cultural reclamation. From his Berkeley roots to directing the Latinx Pop Lab at UT Austin, the acclaimed author and scholar known as Professor Latinx has spent his career expanding representation across comics, film, and media, mentoring the next generation of creators to tell their stories.

From Campus to Capital: When Bears Back Bold Ideas

By Urja Upadhyaya

Bears Hunt Unicorns: Venture Capital at Cal brought together Berkeley investors, founders, and students for a conversation on building purposeful, enduring companies. Panelists shared how Cal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem supports founders from their first idea to global impact.

Arthur Sze’s Berkeley: Attention, Translation, and the Joy of Making

By Urja Upadhyaya

Arthur Sze ’72 returns to Berkeley memory, Josephine Miles’s courtyard, an IBM typewriter by an open window, a creek, to trace a life in poems. In this interview, the Poet Laureate maps how translation, science, and disciplined attention shape his work and teaching, and why his enduring advice to young Cal writers is simple: write, and don’t stop.

“Action is my coping mechanism”: Wendy Marie Ingram on building community care in academia

By Urja Upadhyaya

When loss struck her graduate community, Wendy Marie Ingram, Ph.D. ’15, didn’t wait for permission to act. The UC Berkeley alum transformed her pain into purpose, founding Dragonfly Mental Health to make mental health care in academia collective and sustainable. Her story is one of evidence, empathy, and resolve.