UC Berkeley Interdisciplinary Studies major Frida Calvo Huerta, a first-generation Mexican immigrant, came to the U.S. at a young age with her family. Her hard work and commitment to academics helped her get into UC Berkeley. Reflecting on the arduous journey it took to study at UC Berkeley as an undocumented student, she founded the UndocuScholars Program, which helps other undocumented students successfully get through the UC admission process, including navigating college as first-generation undocumented students. The free 10-month virtual program, which includes...
In Berkeley Talks episode 203, Alisha Gaines, a professor of English and an affiliate faculty member in African American studies at Florida State University, discusses why it’s important for Black America to “excavate and reconsider” its relationship to the plantation.
“If we were to approach the plantation with an intention to...
In his spare time between classes, fourth-year student Gabriel Alexander Juarez ’24 plays guitar in two punk bands. The political science major started one of his bands, Raccoon Hospital, with his UC Berkeley classmates. When it was time to choose his civic engagement project for his class, Professor Darren C. Zook’s “...
William Carter was in a National Archives reading room in the United Kingdom staring at a box of tattered pages covered in cursive writing, sea water stains and smears of blood. It smelled musty, and his hands became smudged turning the soot-covered pages.
Carter, a UC Berkeley Ph.D. candidate in geography, was mining these centuries-old slave ship logs in 2020 as part of his research into the transatlantic slave trade and what lessons from then might apply to our own understandings about race, literacy and power today.
But there was a problem: He couldn’t read a single...
UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Continuing Lecturer Pablo Gonzalez is a first-generation Chicano scholar-activist and anthropologist, and the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award. His research is focused on the political and cultural impact of indigenous social movements, particularly their resonance with Chicanxs and communities of color in the United States. Gonzalez teaches courses on Chicanx history, culture, ethnography, migration and criminality.
During the Fall 2023 semester, students in his Chicano Studies history course...
The Academy recognizes excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and to work together to cultivate art and science.
“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public,...
UC Berkeley History and Law Professor Dylan Penningroth began his journey in academia after receiving his bachelor’s degree in history from Yale and his Ph.D. in history from the Johns Hopkins University. Throughout his career at Berkeley, Professor Penningroth has taught, mentored and inspired countless undergraduate and graduate students.
Recipient of prestigious awards including the Merle Curti Prize, the Ellis Hawley Prize, the Civil War and Reconstruction Prize, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National...
The College of Letters & Science Advisory Board has announced the recipients of the second annual L&S Faculty Awards, which recognizes and celebrates exceptional faculty in the College of Letters & Science. Awardees were selected for their exceptional scholarship, service to the College and community, and transformational teaching. These extraordinary individuals not only embody the excellence of the College of Letters & Science, but they...
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...
UC Berkeley Anthropology Professor Kent G. Lightfoot received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for American Archaeology for his innovative approach to combining archaeology with contemporary social justice issues which contributes new understandings of the Anthropocene era.
Professor Lightfoot’s research explores the interactions between Indigenous peoples and European settlers, highlighting the history and effects of settler colonialism. He works closely with Native Californian tribes, helping to develop new ways to...
of his bands, Raccoon Hospital, with his UC Berkeley classmates. When it was time to choose his civic engagement project for his class, Professor Darren C. Zook’s “...