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Cal Culture

A large group of Cal alums, incoming students, and families gathered under redwood trees at a Summer Welcome Party, smiling together for a group photo in a shaded park setting. Several attendees wear Cal gear and two dogs sit at the front of the group; Courtesy of Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association, Bay Area; Photo Credits: Don Collier/KLC fotos. August 16, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Chicanx Latinx Alumni Associaton: New Student Welcome Gathering; (Photo credit: Don Collier/KLC fotos)
Cal Culture

Before Berkeley Begins: A Coast-to-Coast Welcome for Incoming Students

By Urja Upadhyaya

This summer, UC Berkeley Alumni Chapters across the country hosted Summer Welcome Parties that turned strangers into classmates and questions into confidence. From Cal Band cameos to cultural unity chants, gatherings welcomed the new students, long before Move-In Day.
A black-and-white photo of Ramon Ramirez painting in his studio. He wears a plaid shirt over a T-shirt, holding brushes as he works on a canvas depicting palm trees and urban landscapes. In his studio, Ramon Ramirez layers sky, structure, and shadow onto canvas. His paintings echo the architecture of Los Angeles—bridging Chicano identity, urban form, and the poetic urgency of place.
Cal Culture

Ramon Ramirez Paints a City That Refuses to Sit Still

By Urja Upadhyaya

Cal alum Ramon Ramirez found his calling at Berkeley, where a Chicanx art exhibition and a book of poetry redirected his path from architecture to painting. Today, his large-scale works capture the restless energy of Los Angeles, blending heritage, identity, and civic responsibility into art he insists is essential, not ornamental.
Large group of Cal alums, students, and families gathered outdoors at the Washington, D.C. Summer Welcome Picnic on July 19, 2025. Attendees stand together on the grass, smiling at the camera, with two banners reading “Cal Alumni Club of Washington D.C.” in front. Large group of Cal alums, students, and families gathered outdoors at the Washington, D.C. Summer Welcome Picnic on July 19, 2025. Attendees stand together on the grass, smiling at the camera, with two banners reading “Cal Alumni Club of Washington D.C.” in front.
Cal Culture

Golden Bears in the Capital: The Enduring Spirit of the DC Cal Alumni Club

By Urja Upadhyaya

In Washington, D.C., where lives are often in flux, the Cal Alumni Club offers permanence. From the Summer Welcome Picnic to the Annual Reception, the chapter connects generations of Bears, supports Cal in the Capital, and ensures the Berkeley spirit thrives far from California.
Professor Markita del Carpio Landry, in a blue lab coat and gloves, smiles while holding up a vial of liquid in her lab. Professor Landry examines a vial of plant samples in her lab. What began as a failed nanosensor experiment evolved into breakthrough research on nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery in plants.
Cal Culture

The Curiosity Lab: ‘Failure is Just a Data Point’ – Markita del Carpio Landry’s Berkeley Story

By Urja Upadhyaya

Professor Markita del Carpio Landry bridges nanotechnology, neuroscience, and mentorship at UC Berkeley. Her journey shows how curiosity and inclusion create science that serves society.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons shakes hands with TSU President J. W. Crawford III at Alumni House, both smiling warmly during the reception. September 5, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Cal Alumni Association: TSU vs Cal Welcome Reception (Photo credit: Don Collier/KLC fotos)
Cal Culture

Bear Territory Meets Tiger Pride: A Night of Unity at Alumni House

By Urja Upadhyaya

At Alumni House, Golden Bears and Tigers gathered not as rivals but as a community. The Cal Alumni Association’s Golden Bears Welcome TSU Tigers reception honored TSU’s proud legacy and Berkeley’s public mission through spirited conversation, alum voices, and a powerful dialogue between Chancellor Rich Lyons and TSU President J. W. Crawford III.
Ann speaking at 2014 Senate Hearing Ann Wai-Yee Kwong ’15 speaks at a 2014 Senate hearing.
Cal Culture

“Access Is a Culture, Not a Checklist”: Ann Wai-Yee Kwong ’15 on Redefining Disability

Blind, neurodivergent, first-gen, and working-class, Ann Wai-Yee Kwong ’15 is helping reshape how higher education understands disability, not as a limitation, but as leadership. At the helm of UC Berkeley’s Disability Cultural Community Center, she’s building a future where access begins with culture.
Christina Hioureas speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, New York. Credit: United Nations Archives Christina Hioureas speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, New York. Credit: United Nations Archives
Cal Culture

“From Sproul to The Hague”: A Q&A with Christina Hioureas ’04, J.D. ’07

By Urja Upadhyaya

Drawn to UC Berkeley by the free-speech tradition and human-rights legacy, Christina Hioureas ’04, J.D. ’07 now argues climate accountability, decolonization, and human rights before international courts while building a pipeline for the next generation of Bears.
Brad Bailey, Isaac Smith, and Hale Zukas on the red carpet at the BAFTA premiere of the documentary Isaac Smith, Hale Zukas, and Brad Bailey at the BAFTA premiere of the documentary "HALE." / Courtesy of Isaac Smith
Cal Culture

Hale Zukas and the Quiet Power of Persistence: A Berkeley Story That Changed the World

By Urja Upadhyaya

Their mission was clear: center Hale’s voice, show the world what presence-as-resistance looks like, and reframe how we talk about access, design, and justice. Through the lens of the award-winning film HALE, we revisit a Berkeley story that changed the world.
Oski marches proudly ahead of the Cal contingent, waving a rainbow flag alongside the band. Courtesy of Gender Equity Resource Center
Cal Culture

Cal Pride in Full Color: Where Queer Joy Marches as Resistance

By Urja Upadhyaya

At San Francisco Pride 2025, the Cal community marched with unmistakable spirit, led by the Cal Alumni Association and GenEq. With banners raised, music booming, and voices united, they carried forward a legacy of queer joy as resistance.
Jon Else holding a film camera on his shoulder, looking at the lens.
Cal Culture

The Weight of Story: A Conversation with Jon Else on Legacy, Labor, and the Unintended Consequences of Good Intentions

By Urja Upadhyaya. Photos courtesy of Jon Else.

In this rare and candid conversation, Emmy honoree Jon Else looks back at the ethical, artistic, and deeply human threads running through his documentaries. From atomic bomb makers to opera stagehands, Else unpacks what it means to tell the truth, finish what you can, and carry the rest.

New Cal graduates and campus love letter authors sitting on building steps Photos by Katherine Fiordalis
Cal Culture

Love Letters to Campus: The Class of 2025 Writes Back

By Urja Upadhyaya / Photos by Katherine Fiordalis

In this collection of “Love Letters to Campus,” five graduating seniors share what made UC Berkeley home—from ceramics and comedy to protests, pigments, and stadium chants. These aren’t goodbyes. They’re artifacts of presence—memories made tactile, reflective, and rooted in the spaces that shaped them.
Decorated Alumni House entrance with balloons and a cardboard cutout of Oski Decorated Alumni House entrance with balloons and a cardboard cutout of Oski / Courtesy of Jessamyn Picton
Cal Culture

Cheers to Cal: A Celebration of Transition, Community, and What’s Next

By Urja Upadhyaya

On May 17th, Berkeley's graduating class came together at Alumni House for Cheers to Cal—a warm, spirited gathering filled with laughter, pride, and cherished moments celebrating lifelong Golden Bear connections.
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