July 20, 2026

Incoming Anteaters walk from the Student Center during their SPOP orientation. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

The art of opportunity

Former Creative Connections intern Mafer Reyes ’24 teaching a high school dance class.

Through two paid internship programs, the Access & Engagement program at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts uses the arts as a catalyst for developing creative career pathways. “It’s important for our students to have an expansive view of what they can do and be successful in the creative sector,” said Megan Belmonte, director of access & engagement. “Many of them come here with a very narrow view of what success looks like. For example, many performers think ‘it’s Broadway or nothing.’ But the reality is, these students can work in the creative sector of their choice in infinite ways.”

Supporting the next generation of social scientists

Inaugural recipients pictured top row, left to right: Sharanya Bashyam, Rachel Bauman, Hanna Dosenko, Yuting Gu. Bottom row, left to right: Suyeon Jang, Yanting Li, Allison Morehouse, Kelsey Weymouth-Little.

For students pursuing a Ph.D., completion of a successful dissertation serves as the final stamp of approval denoting all doctoral requirements have been met. Getting there requires a host of resources, not the least of which includes funding. However, in recent years, highly successful federal grant and research fellowship programs run by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health have suspended their programs or cut their funding support in half, potentially derailing Ph.D. students’ progress across all fields of research. To help, the School of Social Sciences launched the Dean's Leadership Society Doctoral Dissertation Research Support Fellowship. “With on-going disruptions to these long-standing federal programs that serve as pipelines for Ph.D. students, we knew we had to address the situation,” said Bill Maurer, social sciences dean. “Our new DLS Doctoral Dissertation Research Support Fellowship program represents that effort.”

Celebrating 10 years of the UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge

In 2017, the UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge was launched to raise funds for the most innovative and high-risk, high-reward cancer research at UC Irvine and its pediatric cancer affiliate, Rady Children’s Health. Each year, thousands have rallied behind the cause, transforming the peer-to-peer event for the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center into an annual UC Irvine tradition. Now, the Anti-Cancer Challenge is marking a new milestone: the event’s 10th anniversary and a chance to celebrate a decade of impact, innovation and community involvement in the fight against cancer.

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UC NEWS

VA healthcare programs help UC serve veterans

For decades, UC and Veterans Affairs medical centers have advanced a shared mission of patient care, research and health professional education. Across seven VA medical centers, UC faculty and trainees help deliver care while preparing California’s physician workforce, with more than two-thirds of UC medical students, residents and fellows training in VA settings. Seven of the eight VA medical centers in California are affiliated with UC medical schools, including UC Irvine’s.

#IamUCI

Alumni in Action

Second chances can change everything, and Steve Kim ’04 is proof. In this episode of Alumni in Action, Kim shares his journey from incarceration to founding Project Kinship, a nonprofit supporting individuals impacted by gangs, violence and the justice system. He reflects on how UC Irvine took a chance on him and how that helped set him on a new path toward purpose and service. Discover how one Anteater turned his past into a mission to create hope, healing and opportunity for others.

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UC Irvine community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.

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