Volunteer Testimonies
Julia Dolloff (College Nine, ‘13)
Volunteering on the UCSC Alumni Council means creating new friendships and rekindling old ones, fostering a well-connected community of banana slug lovers, nostalgia, and always returning home to the redwoods.
Kelsey Knox (Porter ‘12)
As a new member of the UCSC Alumni Council, I’ve enjoyed learning about all of the ways to get involved and volunteer with UCSC. I had a great time this fall volunteering to help with new student move-in at Porter and Kresge, and also enjoyed getting to meet alumni while working at the check in booth for the annual Return to the Redwoods weekend.
Pat Garcia (Merrill, ’76)
I joined the Alumni Council in 2023. Since then I have been active in the Scholarship Committee, awarding $3000 scholarships to UCSC students.
It felt very good to work with a group of fellow alumni volunteers who all shared the same goal of wanting to give back because each of us have received so much from our own student experience at Santa Cruz. It was rewarding to see our efforts translate into getting a diverse group of students get the support they need
to pursue their educational needs. These students aspire to not only succeed, but also contribute to the future success and improvement of their own communities.
I also work with our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee to pursue how we can further promote these core values at UCSC and make them an important part of the students and alumni experience.
I encourage other alumni to become involved so they can receive the benefit of knowing how their contribution can make a significant difference for our university and the lives of our students.
Abel Mkulama (Graduate Division, ’21)
As an Alumni Councilor, I love contributing to Alumni Association activities because they advance UC Santa Cruz excellence and values. Notable volunteering events include Giving Tuesday, Return to the Redwoods, and the Alumni Reunion. I also evaluate student funding applications for the Alumni Association Scholarship and the Finance Committees. I encourage fellow alumni to take up volunteer opportunities within the association.
Shonté (Shon) Thomas (Rachel Carson, ’05)
Volunteering on behalf of UC Santa Cruz as an Alumni Council has been a meaningful experience. It’s given me tangible ways to give back to the UCSC and the community that played a role in shaping both my personal and professional journey. I’ve especially enjoyed promoting opportunities for alumni to stay engaged—whether through volunteering or connecting with current students. Collaborating with fellow Banana Slugs to support student success has been a great reminder of the lasting impact of our shared experiences. I’m proud to continue contributing to the ongoing 60+ years history of UCSC.
Shelley Meron (Stevenson, ’05)
UC Santa Cruz changed my life for the better. I’ll never forget the experience I had on campus. I love being able to give back now and cherish every opportunity I get to spend time on campus!
Diane N. Nguyen (College 9, ’11)
Serving as an Alumni Councilor has been a meaningful way for me to give back to a place that shaped so much of who I am. My time at UCSC instilled in me a deep commitment to equity, social justice, and community — values I continue to carry in my personal and professional life. Volunteering in this role has allowed me to stay connected to those roots, help elevate alumni voices, and support the next generation of Banana Slugs. It’s been both grounding and inspiring to serve alongside other alumni who care deeply about our university and its future.
April Yee (Oakes College, ’02)
Volunteering as an Alumni Councilor for the past six years has been so rewarding. I get to stay connected to campus, work with other amazing Slugs and UCSC staff, and participate in events that we host. I’ve especially enjoyed co-hosting our Slugs & Steins Zoom lectures and attending ‘Return to the Redwoods’ during the summer. Our Council meetings and retreats are educational, productive, and fun!
If you feel called, look for ways that work for you to volunteer or give back to UCSC.
Jessica Lum (Rachel Carson, ’09)
The UCSC Alumni Council offers many ways to volunteer to support alumni, and stay connected to today’s students and campus experience. The Council is comprised of alumni spanning from the first graduating class to the most recent – all with different majors, careers, and life paths. It’s been fulfilling to learn from and work with fellow alumni who are service-oriented and want to give back to the institution we all love.
Richard Mahon (Cowell, ’78)
I’ve been encouraged to compose a “volunteer testimonial,” and few things could make me happier.
I came to Santa Cruz in fall 1973 as a first-gen (though we didn’t have that label then) community college transfer student. Before I came, I liked reading and I liked learning and I was desperate to make sense of the chaotic years of the late sixties and early seventies
but I had never been in an environment that thrived on making sense of the world around us—from unseen biological organisms to the place of humankind in the cosmos. As a history and religious studies major, I was comfortably between those extremes.
My life was utterly transformed.
I found other students, grad student TAs, and professors who shared many of my questions, and had some thoughts (a lot of thoughts, actually) about how those questions might be answered. Some of the answers conflicted, but the discovery of a world where all questions and most answers were welcome and open for discussion was revelatory.
I graduated from Cowell in 1978 and, hardly missing a beat, came back as a history of consciousness student (we didn’t capitalize it in those days). After I finished grad school and while looking for a full-time teaching position in a California community college (going back to my roots), I taught in the Stevenson core course and served as Stevenson’s academic preceptor for several years. I continued to find the campus an exhilarating place to be for reasons personal, social, and intellectual.
I retired a few years ago and have been fortunate to be able to return to Cowell, teaching sections of the Cowell core course to students born in this millennia.
I’ve also gotten involved with the Page & Eloise Smith Scholastic Society, an inter-generational community of friends established by early Cowell alum, Bill Dickinson. The Smith society provides support for current UCSC students who are former foster youth, wards of the court, homeless—students who have overcome sometimes significant adversity to find their way to UCSC.
Smith students are in some ways very different (no one had a cell phone when I came to UCSC), but in most of the ways that matter, they are the same hot mess we all were at 18, 19, and sometimes well into our twenties. I often wonder whether it’s the Smith students or their mentors who get the most benefit.
I began volunteering as a member of the UCSC Alumni Association’s leadership board – UCSC Alumni Council – in 2023. It has been great to serve alongside other alumni from various generations, degrees, work experience, and life-experiences. We meet at least four times a year and do most of our work through different committees. So far, I have served on the volunteer committee and the scholarship committee. The experience has been rewarding.
I would encourage all UCSC alumni—and even students who attended but didn’t graduate or transferred elsewhere—to reconnect with their Banana Slug roots.
Juliet Musso (Cowell, ’82)
My time as a student at UCSC was transformational, not least because I connected with so many like minded and wonderful people. And likewise for my volunteer work with the Alumni Council. I love the opportunity to stay connected to the university, to give back, and to engage with passionate, creative, and committed fellow Banana Slugs. It’s heartwarming and fulfilling to remain part of the UCSC community, and to continue working to support students and engage with fellow alumni.
