Social Sciences

Thomas Newman became a proud Cal Dad when his daughter enrolled at UC Berkeley as a transfer student to study history in 2022. Just a year later, Newman became a Cal Student, pursuing the same degree.

After 35 years working in restaurants and hotels across the U.S. and Europe, Newman knew it was time for a change. In the past, Newman went to a few junior colleges to pursue an education degree, but never completed college.

When he sat in one of his daughter’s history classes at Cal one day, he was inspired to...

Berkeley Economics Professor Edward Miguel has spent his career uncovering the structural forces behind poverty, instability and inequality. As the Oxfam Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics and co-director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), he leads groundbreaking research that ties together rural finance, climate change, conflict and human capital — often through long-term fieldwork in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Miguel's research isn't just about diagnosis. It's about evidence-based solutions, such as a recent study on post-harvest loans in Kenya that's...

Since arriving at UC Berkeley from China in the summer of 2021, Yuqi Tian has made an indelible impact on the campus community through her leadership, advocacy and research.

Tian will graduate this semester with three bachelor's degrees in geography, comparative literature and Italian studies. She has also earned a minor in gender and women's studies and a certificate in new media. Overall, Tian has completed 190 units at Cal — often taking 25 units a semester — and will graduate with a 3.991 GPA.

But her brilliance goes far beyond her grades. A wheelchair user herself, Tian...

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...