Alumni

For Shaudi Fulp, politics is about tangible outcomes

May 12, 2025

Shaudi Fulp graduated from UC Berkeley in 2004 with bachelor’s degrees in legal studies and political psychology, later returning for her master’s in political science. She now helps emerging and mature companies build government affairs teams and strategies across the globe. Even though she lives in Southern California, Fulp is very involved with campus, offering guidance through the Berkeley Social Sciences Dean’s Advisory...

Six UC Berkeley alumni named 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners

May 12, 2025

This week, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners announced by Columbia University included six UC Berkeley alumni, and additional members of the campus community were finalists for the prestigious award.

Announced each May, the prizes are considered the country’s most sought-after awards in journalism, arts and letters and have been awarded since 1917. Newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, who died in 1911, left money to Columbia University to launch a journalism school and establish the Pulitzer Prize. An...

UC Berkeley alums named 2025 Knight-Hennessy Scholars

May 15, 2025

Two distinguished UC Berkeley graduates have been selected as Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University, joining a distinguished cohort of 84 new scholars representing 25 countries. This prestigious fellowship awards students with "up to three years of financial support to pursue graduate studies at Stanford while engaging in experiences...

Berkeley Sociology is a family tradition for this Cal graduate

May 19, 2025

Michael Temprano is continuing a family tradition having graduated on Sunday with a bachelor's degree from the UC Berkeley Sociology Department. As the third Temprano sibling to join their mother in earning a sociology degree from UC Berkeley, Michael's academic journey is a powerful testament to how education, family values and social consciousness can intersect to shape a future rooted in change.

His family shares sociology as a foundation, but each applies those principles to their own journeys in life. Michael plans to push for advocacy and change by becoming a plaintiff-side...

Two UC Berkeley Social Sciences alumni win 2025 Pulitzer Prizes

May 7, 2025

Two UC Berkeley Social Sciences alumni received 2025 Pulitzer Prizes — one for shedding light on the dangers of train crossings in Houston, and the other for revealing the history of Soviet dissent.

Anthropology alumna Sharon Steinmann, an opinion video journalist for the Houston Chronicle, was part of a four-person team, including UC Berkeley History of Art alumna...

L&S senior and recent alum named 2025-2027 Yenching Scholars

May 8, 2025

Masha Vtorushina, a graduating senior studying Chinese Language and Global Studies in the College of Letters & Science, and Justin Hurley, a 2021 Political Economy graduate, have been named 2025-2027 Yenching Scholars. As Yenching Scholars, these outstanding L&S community members will enroll in the interdisciplinary China Studies Master's program this September at Peking University in Beijing,...

L&S Commencement Highlights from 2024

May 23, 2024
Congratulations, Class of 2024!

This year's campuswide spring ceremony took place on May 11, 2024, at the California Memorial Stadium. Cynthia "Cynt" Marshall, UC Berkeley alumna and CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, delivered this year's commencement address. Despite the backdrop of chants and protests from graduates opposing the war in Gaza, the ceremony largely proceeded as planned. Within the College of Letters & Science, many departments hosted smaller, more...

Asian American Studies alumna shares her journey from UC Berkeley student government to Santa Clara County supervisor

May 1, 2025

By Jessica Park

Asian American Studies alumna Betty Duong’s time at UC Berkeley fostered free thinking and honed in the skills she uses today as a Santa Clara County supervisor. Cal opened her world to diverse perspectives, helping her realize that anyone could participate in political and civic engagement.

Last year, she became the first Vietnamese American and Asian American woman to be elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. As a daughter of refugees who was raised on county and government services...

A spate of suicides drew this alumna back to UC Berkeley to confront mental health issues in academia

April 22, 2025

The academic year 2013-14 changed the direction of Wendy Ingram’s life. Over the course of a few months, four members of the UC Berkeley department in which she was a graduate student died by suicide: an undergraduate student, a doctoral student, a post-doctoral fellow and a faculty member.

The tragic events left many in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) reeling, but Ingram also found that the suicides prompted co-workers to share their own mental health issues. She discovered that, like herself, about half the people she talked to had sought therapy at some point...

The New Leader Scholarship: An Interview with Bill and Ruth Goldman

March 6, 2025

For over two decades, the Goldmans have nurtured a community of scholars from disadvantaged backgrounds who might otherwise never have found their way to academic success. These “diamonds in the rough,” as Ruth calls them, often arrive feeling like imposters but graduate as leaders. With Ruth’s experience as a Holocaust survivor and first-generation college student guiding their approach, the Goldmans have created a program that offers funding, mentorship, emotional support, and lifelong connections. Most remarkably, their scholars have achieved a 100 percent graduation rate, and...