Mother-Daughter Aggies Advocate for Civic Engagement

Isabella Romero’s early induction into political life occurred right here in Davis; she and her mother lived in town while her mother completed her undergraduate degree in political science and sociology, and eventually her Ph.D. Today the two are both Aggies.

A Scholar's Quest for Human Truths in Fantasy Worlds

April 7, 2016 — Games that people play in the virtual world give Cuihua “Cindy” Shen a unique—and very big—window into human behavior.

Shen, an assistant professor of communication, sifts through terabytes of data from “massively multiplayer online games” like EverQuest II to study a wide range of social interactions, including networking, team performance, trust-building and economic transactions, and their real-world effects on people’s lives.

1998 - Matthias Gafni

Investigative reporter Matthias Gafni (B.A, English/rhetoric and communication, ’98), who got his journalism start at The California Aggie, was a lead writer in a series of articles on the Ghost Ship fire that won the East Bay Times the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. Gafni is one of two UC Davis alumni on the East Bay Times staff. Angela Ruggiero (B.A., communication/Italian, ’10), has contributed to the paper’s continuing Ghost Ship coverage.

1999 - David Ashby

David Ashby (B.A., political science, and rhetoric and communication, ’99) was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown in December to the Sutter County Superior Court bench. Ashby, 39, of Yuba City, has been an owner and attorney at the Ashby Law Firm since 2002. After graduating from UC Davis, he earned his law degree from UC Berkeley. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Chris Chandler (B.A., English, ’73) last May. A former state Assembly member, Chandler served 23 years on the bench, including a 2006–12 stint as the court's presiding judge. 

2011 - Ofunne Okwudiafor

Ofunne Okwudiafor (B.A., communication, ’11) was recently featured in a BuzzFeed article about her new app, Cocoa Swatches, that helps people of color select makeup. A recent graduate of Columbia University's Master of Science in Communications Practice, she blogs at ofunneamaka.com.

1991 - Mike Woods

Mike Woods (B.A., rhetoric and communication, ’91) is a meteorologist with New York television station FOX 5 NY. An American Meteorological Society seal holder, Mike has received an Emmy nomination for best weather forecast. In 2009, McDonald's presented him with the Black Media Legends award.