Category: Alumni profiles

Emily Sieu Liebowitz: A love letter long overdue

Emily Sieu Liebowitz (Rachel Carson ’07, literature) used the writing skills she developed at UC Santa Cruz to cowrite But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, a book celebrating the songs and achievements of American girl groups of the ’60s

By Kristen Garabedian, November 2023

Maurice Conti: Diving into the future

Maurice Conti (Stevenson ’92, Japanese history) is a futurist, so he helps clients prepare for what’s coming, while also combining technology with storytelling to protect one of his lifelong loves—the ocean

By Kristen Garabedian, November 2023

Melissa LaHommedieu: Finding a way home

Santa Cruz social worker Melissa LaHommedieu (John R. Lewis ’19, psychology) uses her lived experience to help others find housing and navigate the foster-care system after breaking the cycle of poverty and abuse that marked her early life.

By Kristen Garabedian, August 2023

Nomsa Khalfani: Health care without stigma

Nomsa Khalfani (Kresge ’91, sociology), co-leads Essential Access Health, a nonprofit with a mission of advancing health equity and promoting quality sexual and reproductive health care for all.

By Lisa Renner, August 2023

Joseph K. Lyou: Environmental justice for all

President and CEO of Coalition for Clean Air Joe Lyou (M.S. ’86; Ph.D. ’90, psychology) began his decades-long fight for environmental protection and civil rights during his student years at UCSC.

By Kristen Garabedian, May 2023

Bonnie Garmus: Chemical reaction

Bonnie Garmus (Rachel Carson ’79, aesthetic studies/creative writing), author of the smash-hit novel Lessons in Chemistry, drew on many lessons learned at UC Santa Cruz on her way to finding the formula for success.

By Dan White, May 2023

Samantha Hamilton: First Amendment advocate

Award-winning journalist and civil rights lawyer Samantha Hamilton (Kresge ’16, economics) finds herself using skills learned at City on a Hill Press during her fellowship as a newsroom attorney for the New York Times.

By Kristen Garabedian, March 2023

Andrew Kramer: A witness to war

A Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter, war correspondent, and now Ukraine bureau chief for the New York Times, Andrew Kramer (Cowell ’94, history) shines a light on world events.

By Peggy Townsend, March 2023

Helen Tran: A term of firsts

Helen Tran (Rachel Carson ’04, American studies), a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, is the first Asian American mayor of San Bernardino and the first Vietnamese American woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. city.

By Dan White, March 2023