These grads represent the breadth, tenacity, caliber, and diversity of the Class of 2020.
Merrill ’20, technology and information management
After graduation, Ahyesha Russell is headed for a well-paid job with Capgemini in Seattle as a technical consultant—something she hadn't thought was possible in her wildest dreams.
Porter ‘20, film and digital media
The documentary Ben Ochoa is most proud of is one he made that hit close to home.
Crown ’20, chemistry
Dana Byrne is the kind of person who likes to get answers. So it was a natural fit for her to gravitate to chemistry as a field of study.
Rachel Carson '20, politics and Latin American and Latino studies
Daniel Garcia is looking forward to going to grad school and having a career in education, either as a professor or directing a program that provides equal opportunities for students no matter who they are or where they came from.
Kresge ‘20, molecular, cell, and developmental biology
When he was a child in Peru, Diego Alonzo Martinez Mori’s mother would sometimes bring him to the medical office where she was a secretary. Seeing the doctors in their white coats helping people, it looked like something he’d like to do when he grew up. Now on the verge of his graduation from UC Santa Cruz, Mori is looking down the path that will take him to that vision.
Oakes '20, environmental studies
If Felix Vazquez had to title his four years at UC Santa Cruz, he said they would be called, “A Series of Fortunate Events.”
Stevenson ‘20, history of art and visual culture
Jocelyn Lopez-Anleu was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles and is the first member in her family to leave home and attend a four-year university.
Porter ‘20, art & design: games & playable media
Joyce Lin designs whimsical and inclusive games—queer games Lin lovingly calls “gaymes.”
Cowell ’20, politics and philosophy
When Marian Avila-Breach, 25, transferred from a community college to UC Santa Cruz, she thought she knew what was in store for her during the next two years.
Kresge '20, linguistics
Max Tarlov, 21, already had his major in mind when he started out at UC Santa Cruz. But a class called Syntax 1 deepened his engagement with linguistics, while helping him to develop critical thinking skills.
Merrill ’20, computer science
It was a big change for San Jose resident Minh Anh Nguyen to move across the country to New Jersey last summer for an internship with defense contractor Lockheed Martin, but because of her experience she was able to land a job working with the C programming language at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale location.
Cowell '20, history/literature (creative writing)
Nirupama Chandrasekhar, 21, has pursued rigorous and impactful research throughout her undergraduate career, impressing her professors with her independent work and collaborative research projects.
Cowell ‘20, molecular, cell, and developmental biology
Nitin Vidyasagar is looking forward to graduation and a new position in a cell biology lab. Over the next two years, Vidyasagar will assist UC Berkeley Assistant Professor Samantha Lewis in exploring mechanisms cells use to maintain mitochondrial DNA.
College Ten '20, sociology and critical race and ethnic studies
Nhial, a 2020 UC Santa Cruz graduate who was born in San Diego County, knew her family’s saga but wanted to explore more deeply the stories of women in the deadly conflicts that had wracked South Sudan rather than the men that history usually centered on.
College Nine ‘20, legal studies, and history of art and visual culture
After four years, the honors student with a double major in legal studies and history of art and visual culture (HAVC) is back in San Diego now where he plans to attend law school in the fall.
Crown ’20, mathematics and physics
The 21-year-old from Kerala, India, is graduating with a double major in physics and mathematics, she speaks four languages, she has won numerous awards, and—oh, yes, she’s a published author of science-fiction novels.
Rachel Carson ’20, electrical engineering
Sergio Mendez Vargo always knew he wanted to be in the sciences but wasn’t sure what branch.
Kresge '20, philosophy and language studies
Zaire Armstrong, 22, is this year’s winner of the David A. Kadish Humanities Scholarship Award, which recognizes deserving students with a strong interest in the study of humanities.
Cowell '20, computer science and game design
Maia Dupuis started out focusing on computer science but added game design because of her interest in combining the creativity of arts with technology.
Cowell '20, legal studies
Monica Estrada Arias never met the young man. An activist, he was killed during the 2019 protests in Chile. Yet, as part of a team of UC Santa Cruz students researching the demonstrations, which erupted over cost-of-living increases and economic equalities, Estrada said she will always feel a connection to him.
