Alumni

UC Berkeley African American Studies Alumna J Finley began her career researching reparations and the legacy of slavery. But after studying how Black people navigate and resist oppression, she was eventually drawn to a subject – and a form of resistance – that was personally meaningful to her: comedy. As someone long drawn to comedy shows, Finley committed herself to collecting and honoring the stories Black women tell about themselves by becoming an audience member, critic and comedian herself.

Based on her research and experiences, Finley...

Stephan and I met in 1989 as undergraduates at UC Berkeley’s Social Sciences Division, just before the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake struck. It’s an easy anniversary to remember.

He was a political science major, and I was studying history. Stephan had plans to attend law school, but I was uncertain about my path after graduation. People often asked me, "What will you do with a history degree?" Back then, it seemed like people assumed history majors could only go into teaching.

Our time at Cal reshaped our...

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...

For Skyelar Montgomery, receiving the African American Initiative Scholarship in 2021 heavily influenced her decision to attend UC Berkeley. It enabled her to forego worrying about the financial costs of college and focus instead on seizing every opportunity she could that nurtured her leadership abilities and passion for serving the Black community: as a senator in the Associated Students of the University of California; as the head of public relations for the Haas Undergraduate Black Business Association; as vice president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the historically African American sorority...