In its more than 150-year history, the University of California has never faced the kinds of challenges it confronted this year. But difficult times can also be a catalyst, clarifying what matters and propelling people to action.
And so it was in 2025: Against the backdrop of a federal demand for a $1B settlement from UCLA that put the entire UC system at risk, we saw an outpouring of support from students, staff, faculty, alumni and patients. People spoke out about the importance of the University of California to the state and nation, sharing their personal stories about how UC has affected their lives.
They ranged from big names, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who credits UC research with saving his life during battles with leukemia and prostate cancer, to a proud alum whose parents met on a UC campus, resulting in her very existence.
Here are nine of those stories. They capture what so many of us have experienced firsthand: UC is often the common denominator behind great careers, lifelong friendships and life-changing research advances that benefit everyone. Click the linked names below to jump to their stories.
Alex Ruiz: A first-generation alum dedicated to lifting up others
Cianna Calia: UC shaped — and saved — her life
Mohan Ananda: He helped develop GPS and created thousands of jobs
Joseph Goetz and Genie Penn: An enduring family legacy
Yevette Peterson: A cancer breakthrough saved her life
Jack de Golia: “Fiat lux” as a lifetime mindset
Julia Halprin Jackson: A transformative education that keeps on giving
Ammar Zia: Doing right by every kid in America
Jennifer Ishikata: Part of something greater than herself
Alex Ruiz: A first-generation alum dedicated to lifting up others
B.A., Economics, UC Riverside, 2004
M.Ed., Higher Education Administration and Policy, UC Riverside, 2010
“I am proud to be a UC graduate and lifelong member of the UC community. I was born in Mexico and grew up as a first-generation, formerly undocumented student. Thanks to programs like AVID, Talent Search and Upward Bound, I was prepared for college. When I arrived at UC Riverside, it became my second home. The staff, faculty and support programs gave me the foundation I needed to succeed. For the past 23 years, I have had the privilege of serving the UC system — first at UC Merced for two years, and for nearly 20 years at UC Riverside. In that time, I’ve recruited and supported thousands of students pursuing their UC educations.
“UC has also become a family legacy: over a dozen of my relatives have graduated from UC Riverside, my wife and sister work here, and my children have benefited from UC Riverside’s Child Development Center. The University of California transformed my life and opened doors for my family. I believe every student deserves that same chance to thrive, and I am committed to ensuring future generations benefit from the opportunities UC provides.”
Cianna Calia: UC shaped — and saved — her life
Ph.D. student, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, UC San Diego
B.S., Molecular Biology, UC San Diego, 2021
M.S., Chemistry, UC San Diego, 2023
“I owe my life to UC in more ways than one. I have both undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC San Diego, and UC San Diego’s Jacobs Medical Center saved my life.
“During my undergraduate years at UC San Diego, I took classes that I will never forget, did research in three different academic divisions and served as president of two student clubs. These experiences profoundly shaped not only my academic, professional and social life, but also who I am as a person.
“Early on in graduate school, after many years of having my Type 1 diabetes under good control, I suffered an unforeseeable, nearly fatal medical incident that left me with multiple organ failures and massive tissue damage. I awoke in the ICU to be told that I was the sickest patient in UC San Diego’s Jacobs Medical Center. I received incredible care there — the amazing staff and extensive resources were able to bring my health back, while the medical center provided housing for my parents so that they could be with me every day while I was hospitalized. While continuing to receive outpatient care and surgeries from UC San Diego medical facilities, I proceeded to get my master’s degree and I am now a Ph.D. candidate doing research in protein design, a booming field with significant implications for human health, materials design, food science, and more. I hope to soon start a career where I can use the skills I learned at UC San Diego to do some good for others.
“Without the phenomenal opportunities and experiences the UC system provided, I would not be who I am today. UC San Diego has been my school, my employer, my hospital, and my home. And without the outstanding medical care I received, I would not be alive.”
Mohan P. Ananda: He helped develop GPS and created thousands of jobs
Ph.D. Astrodynamics and Control, UCLA, 1972
“I am proud to share my journey, one that began at UCLA and shaped the course of my entire life. I earned my Ph.D. from UCLA, and it was there that I found the foundation, guidance and inspiration that fueled my career.
“After graduating, I contributed to interplanetary navigation at JPL/NASA and later served as one of the architects of the Global Positioning System (GPS) while working with the Department of Defense. My role was to make GPS survivable under various threats — a system that began as a military tool but today helps billions of people around the world in their daily lives.
“UCLA’s impact on me extended far beyond science and technology. It instilled in me the confidence to become an entrepreneur. Over the years, I have founded several innovative companies, taken four of them public, and raised over a billion dollars in capital. Today, I am preparing to take another AI-driven health care company public. Through this work, I have been privileged to create more than 5,000 high-paying jobs.
“Every success I have achieved is a direct extension of the education and values I received at UCLA. UCLA did wonders for me, and it continues to shape the lives of students who will go on to lead, innovate and contribute to humanity in ways we cannot yet imagine. The education, research and innovation coming from UCLA are critical to America’s future. I am living proof of what UCLA can make possible — and I stand firmly in support of its mission for generations to come.”
Joseph Goetz and Genie Penn: An enduring family legacy
Joesph Goetz
B.A., Public Health, UCLA, 1974
M.D., UCLA, 1978
Genie Penn
B.A., History, UCLA, 1982
“My parents, Samuel and Gerti Goetz, survived Nazi persecution and came to L.A. in 1950. They enrolled at UCLA and achieved undergraduate degrees. I attended undergrad and med school at UCLA. My 17-year-old son is soon starting classes at UCLA — a third-generation Bruin! My other son is a proud Gaucho. The UCLA Chair in Holocaust Studies has my dad's name attached to it. My family loves UCLA. We are honored to have attended such a great institution.” — Joseph Goetz
“My parents were Holocaust survivors who both attended UCLA and then helped to establish a chair in Holocaust Studies there. Their children attended UCLA undergrad and medical school and two of their grandchildren attended UCLA as well. UCLA runs deep in this family and gave my parents the American Dream.” — Genie Penn
Yevette Peterson: A cancer breakthrough saved her life
Cancer survivor, UCLA Health patient and founder, Operation Crush Cancer
“I am alive today ONLY because of Herceptin, a cancer treatment developed by UCLA research.
“I’ll never forget my UCLA oncologist’s first words to me: ‘You have a very aggressive type of breast cancer. A few years ago, we’d be having a difficult conversation about your prognosis. But fortunately, we have Herceptin now. You’re going to be OK.’
“I was a 37-year-old wife and mom of two cherubic, squishy, giggling, baby boys. My mother had been diagnosed with cancer a few months before. It seemed impossible that I could have cancer. But cancer doesn’t care about things like how old you are, that your babies need you, that your mom is already fighting cancer or who might miss you if you’re gone.
“Thanks to Herceptin and the UCLA scientists who created it, I am better than OK — I am thriving! We added an unexpected third child to our family, and I’ve cherished the gift of raising our babies into impressive young adults. I started a nonprofit organization that raises money and provides support for people going through cancer. UCLA research quite literally saved my life. In turn, I pay my gratitude forward by trying to make a positive impact for others.”
Jack de Golia: “Fiat lux” as a lifetime mindset
B.A., Dramatic Art, UC Davis, 1974
“My family’s UC roots at go back to near the start. My great-grandfather graduated in 1877 with a Ph.B. — a bachelor of philosophy. My great-aunt graduated in the late 1890s, one of the first women graduates. My grandfather attended UC Berkeley in the early 1900s, my dad graduated in 1930, my brother in 1959. I became the first to graduate from a non-Berkeley campus, from UC Davis in 1974. My brother’s three kids graduated from UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, as did one of my grandnieces.
“At UC Davis, I was an ‘experimental freshman’ in 1969–70, and then ended up with a degree in Dramatic Art and a fascination with the history of the U.S. West, as revealed by the late professor W. Turrentine Jackson. All of which helped buoy me as a park interpreter with the National Park Service, then as a public affairs officer with both the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.
“But I always kept that ‘itch’ for the theater, awakened at UC Davis. After my federal career, I discovered voice acting, and since 2009 have been able to have a fulfilling third career narrating and teaching about audiobooks. The foundation was laid now a long time ago, at Davis. Lifelong learning? I’ve lived it. ‘Fiat Lux’ has meant more than I could have imagined back then.”
Julia Halprin Jackson: A transformative education that keeps on giving
B.A., Literature & Spanish, UC Santa Barbara, 2006
M.A., Creative Writing, UC Davis, 2012
“I exist thanks to the University of California, Davis, where my parents met in 1970. I grew up in Davis, where university research, creative scholarship and academic community were embedded in every aspect of life. I have degrees from two UCs and have worked for UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz.
“The best gift a UC education offered me was the confidence and experience to explore my own curiosity. Years later, I now have the privilege of interviewing experts on a variety of topics — social sciences, teaching, dance, engineering — and using the narrative skills I learned as an undergraduate and grad student to share this wonder with the world.
“I am a firm believer in the transformative power of higher education, not just for students, but for everyone. It’s critical that we protect university resources to ensure that society as a whole continues to benefit from the research, innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership that higher education instills.”
Ammar Zia: Doing right by every kid in America
B.A., English Literature and Educational Studies, UCLA, 2015
“After graduating from UCLA, I began my career as an English teacher in a Title I school district before stepping into school administration for seven years. Today, I have the privilege of supporting schools and districts across the United States, ensuring students have access to high-quality resources, cutting-edge technology and research-driven materials that transform classrooms.
“To date, I’ve partnered with more than 200 schools and 50 districts to improve outcomes for America’s youth, helping raise math and ELA achievement, align systems to state and federal regulations, streamline audits and policies and design strategic plans rooted in community needs. This work has saved districts millions while reducing redundancies and, most importantly, doing right by every student. That’s the Bruin promise.
“My grit, my belief in the power of research and my relentless commitment to excellence were shaped by the extraordinary professors and opportunities I had at UCLA. The foundation they provided continues to guide my leadership and my service to schools across the country. Forever Bruin proud.”
Jennifer Ishikata: Part of something greater than herself
B.A., Communication Studies, UCLA, 2013
“I am a proud UCLA Bruin — an alumna and current staff member. I chose the UC system because I believe in what our university has to offer: diversity, access to and collaboration with some of greatest minds in the world, community, creativity, and excellence. As a UCLA student, I was inspired to walk the halls of trailblazers before me, and as a current staff member I am proud to continue the legacy that UC stands for, to do good and be a part of something greater than myself. UC has given me some of my richest memories, friendships, and education that I value and hold dear, and it must be protected for generations to come.”
