Students majoring in one of the 55 majors offered by the College of Letters and Science have so many opportunities to pursue their passions and prepare for a future of endless possibilities. Here we share just a few stories about the incredible students who are determined to make a better world, and the faculty and staff who help them succeed.
Pursuing Undergraduate Research Outside the Lab
January 2020 — Getting research experience as an undergraduate student doesn’t have to mean working in a laboratory. Instead of days spent transferring fluids from one tube to another, math major Tracy Camacho explored matroids, complex mathematical objects with many different uses.
Making the International Relations Major Personal Through Global Learning
November 2019 — A study abroad program in Granada, Spain, empowered international relations major Cameron Lallana to dive deeper into the intricacies of his field than otherwise imaginable, broadening his international literacy and preparing him for a career of doing the same for others.
The Family You Choose
November 2019 — When she was ready to transfer in 2017, Valencia Scott chose UC Davis because of the friendly environment, the resources for supporting students of color, and the prevalence of transfer students. “The biggest thing I was worried about when coming to Davis was finding community, but everyone here was honestly so welcoming,” she said. “I’m so grateful for the community I’ve been able to build here at Davis.”
Global Aggies
October 2019 — UC Davis women's basketball student-athlete Lena Svanholm, an international student from Denmark majoring in chemistry and German, shares what global learning at UC Davis means to her.
Three Students Honored as Forbes Under 30 Scholars
October 2019 — When high-achieving students from colleges around the world gather Oct. 27-30 at the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit, three UC Davis College of Letters and Science undergraduates will be among them. Akshita Gandra, a junior majoring in cognitive science, Shambhavi Gupta, a senior double majoring in economics and international relations, and Jack Kidane, a sophomore majoring in computer science, have been named Forbes Under 30 Scholars.
Using Global Perspectives to Address Educational Inequality
September 2019 — This summer, students majoring in anthropology, psychology, and managerial economics addressed social inequality, environmental degradation, and public health by attending the Association of Pacific Rim Universities Undergraduate Leaders’ Program at the University of Oregon.
Aggie Hero: Valencia Scott
June 2019 — Valencia Scott's first days at UC Davis were full of self-doubt. As a transfer student from American River College in Sacramento, this double major in anthropology and international relations questioned if she truly belonged and if she could handle the rigors of university life. But after finding support networks on campus and joining advisory boards, Scott emerged as a role model for serving fellow students and the wider community.
Returning Student Finds Her Community
April 2019 — “I'll be honest, I was terrified to come back to school as an older student, but that quickly dissipated,” said returning student Annie Chao (B.A., communication, ’18). “There is an unwavering sense of kindness that blankets the campus.”
Aggie Hero: Emily Merchant
April 2019 — Science and Technology Studies faculty Emily Merchant is honored as one of Chancellor Gary May's Aggie Heroes for helping a student in need. “We care about our students and want them to succeed,” Merchant says.
Aggie Hero: Katrina Manrique
March 2019 — Katrina Manrique, who has put a lot of thought — and action — into supporting the emotional well-being of her fellow students, has been named one of Chancellor Gary S. May's Aggie Heroes.
Scholarships Help Singer Pursue Dreams
February 2019 — Mira Huang has a busy, but well-planned, life. The music and psychology double major with an English minor is a vocalist, assistant music director of the Davis Chamber Choir, and peer advisor in the music department.
Education Gives Re-entry Student Tools for Fighting Global Poverty
February 2019 — Heather van Buskirk can put names to her inspirations for majoring in sociology at UC Davis — they are friends she made during five years of volunteer work in South Africa. "They are the reason that I came back to study development and extreme poverty — what works and what doesn’t.”
Science and Language Come Together for Scholarship Winner
January 2019 — Learning a second language provides a new perspective on the world and the people who live in it. For global disease biology major Hana Minsky, Spanish classes in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science opened her eyes to the music and culture of Latin America.
An L&S Education Extends Outside the Classroom
January 2019 — Whether it’s internships, student clubs, study abroad or research, experiences outside the classroom provide lessons that prepare students for success after college. Shreya Kumar, an undergraduate in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science, is laying the groundwork for a medical career through her extracurricular activities. “That’s what I love about UC Davis,” she said. “There are so many opportunities to get involved.”
UC Davis Composition Students’ Music Heard Far and Wide
January 2019 — When doctoral music composition students at UC Davis hear their music played for the first time, they hear it played by professionals who are champions of new music with years of performance experience.
Lifelong Learner Earns History Degree at 84
January 2019 — College was a lot easier the first time around for Marianna Daniel. Then she was young, her memory was sharp, her hearing keen, and she could easily understand the lectures given in her native Russian. When she returned to college on a new continent more than a half century later, Daniel faced language, health and mobility challenges. But the immigrant Californian surmounted them all to finish her second bachelor’s degree — this one in history from UC Davis — at age 84.
Seven College Alumni Offered Fulbright Awards
October 2018 — Thirteen UC Davis students and alumni have been awarded 2018–19 Fulbright fellowships — the largest group of Aggies ever awarded. Seven of them are recent graduates of the College of Letters and Science.
Students Selected for United Nations Fellowships
August 2018 — Eight student leaders in the College of Letters and Science have been recognized as United Nations Millennium Fellows. The Millennium Fellowship is a partnership between the UN’s Millennium Campus Network and Academic Impact programs.
International Relations Major to Vie for Miss America Crown
July 2018 — Nina Forest’s summer got off to an unexpectedly busy start—with a series of news interviews, official appearances at parades, festivals and other community events, and preparations for the Miss America competition. A UC Davis senior majoring in international relations and minoring in Chinese, Forest was crowned in June as Miss Idaho 2018. Her title comes with a $10,000 scholarship for her college education among other prizes. (Note: She made the Top 10 in September 2018.)
Students Take Shakespeare Video Game Into Area Classrooms
June 2018 — A dozen UC Davis English majors recently played a video game with area elementary, middle and high school students. While the students had fun, the goal was to see how “Play the Knave” might improve their reading and writing skills and make the works of William Shakespeare more accessible.
Student Entrepreneurs Win Campus Innovation Awards
June 2018 — Two UC Davis undergraduates won the $10,000 first prize in the 18th annual UC Davis Big Bang! Business Competition on May 24, 2018. Their venture, Japa Inc., takes the pain out of finding parking with a mobile app that employs smart data and advanced analytics to provide drivers with real-time parking availability.
STEM Majors' Career Horizons Expand in Washington, D.C.
May 2018 — Shanon Astley ’13 has advice for STEM majors about how to advance their careers: “Students majoring in science may write it off, but there is so much opportunity in D.C. The work being done on [Capitol] Hill is relevant to every field, because policy is being made in every field.” Currently in medical school at UC San Diego, the biochemistry and molecular biology major interned with U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui of California.