The Cal Aggie Alumni Association recognizes the 2024-25 Affinity Network and APFA Scholarship Award Recipients.
On behalf of the donors, volunteers, the CAAA Board, the African and African Alumni Association (5A), Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association (CLAA), and the Aggie Parent and Family Association (APFA), congratulations to the 2024-2025 recipients with outstanding leadership and dedication to the UC Davis community.
Former Aggie football captain Derek Baljeu ’17, M.S. ’18 has found his calling in the world of wine, bringing his dedication from the game field to the vineyards as a winemaker in Napa Valley.
After taking the class “Introduction to Winemaking” his first year to fulfill a general education requirement, Baljeu says he fell in love with the subject. He soon changed his major to viticulture and enology and began his first winemaking internship at a small family winery.
Whether you’re seeking growth in your current organization, a promotion, or a new role, there are a few factors you’ll want to look out for in your next position. Learn what the U.S. Surgeon General has to say about the components for wellbeing at work.
More than $7 million in merit scholarships is available for continuing students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships opened the 2025-26 Continuing Undergraduate Scholarship Application Oct. 1 and offer several online information sessions to help students with the application.
According to Maggie Mello ’10, who has experienced several career changes, life has a funny way of working out for the best.
After graduating with honors from UC Davis, Mello spent a decade serving her country as a logistics officer and eventually became a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. Now, she is preparing for a promising future in international development with USAID through the prestigious Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship.
As the new school year approaches, the campus is buzzing with excitement as students make their way back. This is the perfect opportunity for parents to explore the many resources UC Davis offers to support their students’ health, safety, and success. It’s also a wonderful moment for me to introduce myself as the new associate director of development for parent giving.
Alejandra Ruiz, M.F.A. ’23, is using mushrooms to turn fast-fashion waste into reusable, eco-friendly materials.
By 2015, Ruiz said fast fashion, the mass production of low-cost garments, led to the annual production of 120 billion pieces of clothing, 15-20% of which went to waste. Most discarded items from the United States and other consumer-driven economies are sent to regions of Latin America, Asia, and Africa for disposal.
"Imagine how many of those 120 billion items are going to be discarded in these developing countries just within one year," said Ruiz.
UC Davis alum Jesse “Lxttle Boy Blue” Williams skyrocketed to fame after a viral video of their commencement walk garnered over 24 million views and led to a record deal. Known for their unique “new nostalgia” music style, Williams is set to release their debut album, “Feeling Blue” this fall.
