Anatomage Table Anatomy Workshop: Students gained hands-on experience with virtual anatomy, medical imaging, and digital dissection techniques. Led by Library Dean Cyril Oberlander.

From Foster Care to Future Physician

  • by Sarah Colwell

When Avenue M student Jessica de Laguna opened her MCAT score, years of work suddenly felt uncertain. After returning to school in her 30s and completing demanding science coursework, she had fallen short of the score she hoped for.

"I got a 490," she recalled. "So I have to retake it again."

For a student who had spent years battling imposter syndrome, it would have been easy to see the score as the end of the road. Instead, someone at UC Davis saw something else.

Five boys in a gym; two in lab coats gesture toward a smiling boy in casual clothes

Avanza Rising Scholars Conference Focuses on Inspiring the Dream of College

  • by Sarah Colwell
 

A first-generation college graduate, immigrant and UC Davis alumna stood before a crowd of about 800 students and family members at the University Credit Union Center on May 16, offering a powerful reminder that higher education is not reserved for a select few.

By the time Aidín Castillo Mazantini, executive director of the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, finished sharing her story as keynote speaker of the Avanza Rising Scholars Conference, the audience was on its feet.

Three students wearing blue gloves working at a lab table, focused and collaborating

Creating a Pipeline for Healthcare Careers

  • by Sarah Colwell

When Julia Lee volunteered with the Fostering the Future program as a UC Davis undergraduate student, she saw it as an opportunity to give back.

Years earlier when she was in high school, Lee attended a summer educational program that introduced her to health care careers and allowed her to shadow professionals in a hospital setting. The experience helped transform a general interest in medicine into a clear career goal.

A group of students observes a demonstration, focused on a yellow mechanical device.

UC Davis Leads Education and Workforce Alignment Across Northern California

  • by Sarah Colwell
A new report from Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) highlights UC Davis’ leadership in strengthening connections between education systems and workforce opportunities across Northern California. Through the work of Inclusive Excellence staff, UC Davis has led the university’s participation in the statewide K–16 Education Collaborative, coordinating partnerships across the Sacramento region, North State and Redwood Coast. This work brings together K–12 schools, community colleges, universities and industry partners to create clearer, more aligned pathways from education to high-demand careers including health care, education and engineering. The report finds that intentional coordination across these partners is helping address long-standing gaps between education systems. By mapping transitions, improving data sharing and expanding dual enrollment opportunities, the collaboratives are making it easier for students to move successfully from one stage of their education to the next. UC Davis’ unique role across three regions has helped align efforts at scale, supporting nearly 900,000 students across 22 counties, including rural and tribal communities. Together, these partnerships are building a more connected and responsive education ecosystem that supports student success, strengthens workforce development and advances economic mobility. Read the full report: https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/k-16-partnerships
Chancellor May sits on stage in front of crowd of middle school and high school students seated at round tables wearing bright green tshirts. Ebony Lewis is at podium talking to crowd.

K-16 Collaborative Announces Major Expansion

  • by Sarah Colwell

The region’s most ambitious education-to-career pipeline initiative is accelerating — and UC Davis is a big part of it.

The Sacramento K-16 Collaborative recently announced significant expansion of its regional data partnership: what began on October 8, 2024 with five founding institutions now is growing to include ten additional partners (pending final authorization), bringing the total to 15 institutions collectively serving more than 220,000 students across the Capital Region.

YOLO Singing Club Woodland 1894 to 1905

Preserving Local Voices: UC Davis Students Illuminate a Hidden Black Community

  • by UC Davis Staff

UC Davis students are uncovering hidden stories from Yolo County’s past, highlighting a little-known Black community in Woodland that thrived in the mid-1800s through the early 1900s. Through research led by Associate Professor Cecilia Tsu and a team of undergraduate and graduate students, the project documented the lives of formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants, preserving photographs, maps, court records, and personal histories.

Portrait of Ron Austin

Student Graduates After More Than 47 Years

  • by UC Davis Staff

Ron Austin’s UC Davis degree—earned 47 years after his first class—shows what’s possible with the right support. His story is helping inspire a regional “Comebacker Campaign,” part of the K–16 Regional Education Collaborative grant that includes UC Davis. Through this effort, partners across the region are building clearer, more connected pathways for returning students of all ages to complete their education and advance their careers.

Subscribe to K-16 Collaborative Content