Alumni Profiles

Translating education, building community

When Mariel Becerra Arellano ’19 was 12 years old, her family moved from Mexico to Colusa, California. When she transferred to UC Davis, she balanced her double major in English and Spanish alongside a full-time job for La Cooperativa Campesina de California, a nonprofit that supports farm workers throughout the state.

Alumni Awards: honoring 4 UC Davis stars

The recipients of the 48th annual Alumni Awards are: Prem Jain, a tech entrepreneur; Scot Marciel, a career Foreign Service officer; Kimberly A. Dodd, a federal veterinary official; and Caroline Flores Cabias, whose public service includes a career in state government and advocacy for disadvantaged students.

Never Have I Ever

After Richa Shukla Moorjani (B.A., communication, ’11) switched her major from theatre to communication, she accepted that she wouldn’t have a career as a performer. Then, in her senior year at UC Davis, she took an acting class that put her back on a path that led to a major role on a hit television series.

Tops in Tech

This story originally appeared on magazine.ucdavis.edu.

Opal Franklin ’18 said she felt the odds stacked against her for too many years. She spent much of her upbringing in the foster care system. Some of her closest family members had been incarcerated, and role models were few.