Young Alumni

Writer Maria Zizka Translates Haute Cuisine for the Home Cook

By Cirrus Wood

In an era when menus often double as moral statements, how refreshing it is to have Maria Zizka and her dozen joyful cookbooks out there, celebrating food without sermonizing to readers.

There’s No One Way To Be: How One Recent Grad Created Space for Trans and Queer Identities at Cal

Beyond academics, college is about finding yourself and becoming the person you want to be. This doesn’t happen in lecture halls, but in between classes, in student organizations, in dorms, and off-campus. For Lindsey Chung ’21, recipient of the Cal Pride Scholarship and The Leadership Award, it’s here, there, and everywhere in between.

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.

‘Justice for Communities of Color’: Amber Gonzales-Vargas ’15 on Inspiring Change

The November 2020 election season is not one that anyone will forget. It was an exhausting period that brought many first-time voters and more people paying attention to the voting process. Berkeley alum Amber Gonzales-Vargas ’15 was meant for this.

Emily Pilloton Is Opening Up the World of STEM—and Possibilities—for Girls

It’s late September, and Emily Pilloton ’03 is at Girls Garage, a nonprofit she founded in 2013 in Berkeley. Girls Garage recently reopened for small groups of girls eager to get back to the space and get building again. "I just feel like failure is not an option," she explains. "This space means a lot to the girls that come here." 

Who Are You Now? Maria Smith ’19 Asks Us to Look Inward

During the early weeks of the COVID pandemic, many of us hoped the pandemic would quickly pass and we could resume our lives. But Maria Smith ’19 believed this is a time to take stock of things that matter to us. This thought led her to create Who Are We Now?, a series of conversations with Cal alums that challenge us to think about how the pandemic has changed us. The first episode was released in July, and we talked with Smith about the series.

Who Are We Now? For Young Cal Alums, We’re a Community Speaking Up

Recent national events have changed much about the world we live in and have sparked questions about how such events influence our identities. Both personally and collectively, we are wrestling with our individuality and struggling to have productive, honest conversations with one another. That’s why there’s something very special about Maria Smith, Isabella Marten, Jordan […]

Soumya Karlamangla ’13 Reports on the Front Lines of COVID-19

In any society, people play specific roles. Some are leaders, some are nurturers, some are creators, and some are builders. All are important. However, in a time of crisis, the demand for specialized roles goes up. During a pandemic, doctors, nurses, and first responders become especially important. And keeping the public informed—now more than ever—is […]

Community-Builder Omotara Oloye ’21

Four years before Omotara Oloye ’21 was born, her parents immigrated from Nigeria to the United States. “They moved in hopes that they could give their children a better life,” Omotara says. “My parents knew that in order for their children to have a better life, for their children’s children to have a better life, going to college would level the playing field.”

Giving Back to Her Alma Mater

Growing up in Carson, California, Liliana “Lili” Iglesias ’12 remembered her mom saying often to her, “When you go to college….” This message ingrained in Lili the thought that she would go to college someday. Then, in middle school, her mom admitted to her, “I don’t know what [going to college] means, so try and ask your teachers and counselors how you can get there.”

Evangeline Ebeyer ’19: A Leader Among the Transfer Student Community

Evangeline Ebeyer ’19 knew since she was a little girl that she was expected to work hard. Her mother immigrated to the United States from Indonesia and became a computer programmer at the University of California Office of the President. Her father is a Marine veteran. Her maternal grandfather held a doctorate degree in mathematics. […]

Saneeha Shamshad ’20: Expanding Access and Redefining Leadership

Saneeha Shamshad ’20 considers herself a “different type of leader.” When asked to elaborate, she adds, “I’m super quiet and I tend not to speak a lot.” The long list of extracurricular activities that Saneeha pursued in the past and continues to develop today, however, suggests that speaking up perhaps isn’t the best measurement of […]