Young Alums

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.

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.

The Glitter Has Teeth: Gericault De La Rose and the Art of Unapologetic Becoming

By Urja Upadhyaya

At the intersection of queerness, Filipinx folklore, and chosen family, Gericault De La Rose M.F.A. ’23 creates maximalist art that resists silence. From protest performances to Sailor Moon shrines, she offers a vision of identity that sparkles, survives, and stuns.

In the Shade of Memory: Reflections from a Soon-to-Be Alum

By Melissa Mora-Gonzalez

Melissa Mora-Gonzalez reflects on her time at UC Berkeley through the quiet companionship of campus trees. In this love letter, she traces moments of stillness, self-discovery, and belonging—walking familiar paths that once felt uncertain, and finding meaning in the spaces between.

Love Drafting: Stories Carried by the Berkeley Wind

By Jessie Fisher

Jessie Fisher captures the heartbeat of UC Berkeley through the voices of four graduating seniors in a moving portrait of everyday rituals, major shifts, and quiet resilience. From machine learning to music, their stories echo with gratitude—for the campus that shaped them and the futures they’re about to shape.

From Cal to “Wings of Gold”

By Nia Coats

After receiving his political science degree, David Julian ’18 made his way into the sky as a Marine Corps Naval Aviator. He has learned the mindset that it is not about himself.

Jason Bircea ’17 Chose UC Berkeley Twice

By Amanda Chiu

Jason Bircea ’17 chose to study at UC Berkeley twice, first as an undergraduate and then as a Ph.D. student.

Alec Huth ’22: The Face Behind Fruit Face

By Josephine Thornton

Founder of Fruit Face, Alec Huth ’22, shares her experiences starting her locally-made organic and sustainable clothing line.

Valuing Family and Social Impact Launched Kevin Lee into Entrepreneurship

By Amanda Chiu

immi co-founder Kevin Lee ’12 practiced his business skills and learned about the social sector at UC Berkeley.

Bears in Business: Toby Ricco

Toby Ricco ’13, M.S. ’14, founder and CEO of Bimotal, walked into UC Berkeley with the goal of becoming an engineer and a passion for tinkering. At Cal, Ricco developed the skills and experience that have built his engineering and entrepreneurial career.

Achieving Dreams by Taking on Challenges

By Alejandra Granados Dominguez

From his time at UC Berkeley to his career in law, Anderson Franco ’10, J.D. ’13 persevered through different obstacles while remaining committed to serving his community.

Alumni Advice for the Graduating Class of 2023

By Josephine Thornton

The Cal Alumni Association asked alums what advice they would share with the newest cohort of alumni Golden Bears.