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30 Grads in 30 Days

In anticipation of this year's commencement ceremonies, June 12-14, we'd like to introduce some special people.

In daily installments, we'll profile 30 extraordinary students who have achieved the honor of graduating from UC Santa Cruz, either with an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

They are artists and dancers, musicians and biologists, volunteers and activists, linguists and physicists, writers and filmmakers — and more. Some have struggled with adversity, with disability, or with steep obstacles to getting their education. All have triumphed.

They are tomorrow's leaders.

They may be diverse, but to all of them, we offer the same: our warmest congratulations as they make their way out into the world.

Fiat lux.

* Perla Corredor
* Nina McCurdy
* Kashima Samuels
*

I have grown up more in four years than I think I had in the previous 18 years of my life.

—Birte Klug

* Genevieve Graves
* Ashley Craig
* Eli Weinberg
* Marina Sarran
* Eric Gonzalez
* Sequilla Lee
* Leiyana Wilson
*

I’ve been fortunate to have so many wonderful professors, it is impossible to pick just one.

—Maggie Sheldon

* Randy Nguyen
* Lizzie Buchen
* Rigo Dicochea
* Janelle Yong
* Farzaneh Tondnevis
* Michael Beirne
* Caitlin May
* Roopesh Sitharan
* Irene Vasquez
* Birte Dedeyan Klug
* Tony Bautista
*

I have learned to fight for what I feel is right and hold on to my beliefs.

—Sequilla Lee

* Ruth Kramer
* Conner MacPhee
* Sara Stickler
* Scott Rohlf
* Shelly Chan
* Daniel Zarchy
*

The open-minded state of UCSC has broadened my views of a lot of topics.

—Scott Rohlf

* Maggie Sheldon
* Christopher Gauk-Roger