Celebrating Achievements

UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts honors 13 undergraduates for outstanding academic careers.

Dean Leo Arriola said the honorees made their mark with significant research activities, exemplary leadership and notable service to UC Merced and the community. Each student was scheduled to graduate this spring or summer with a bachelor’s degree and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.

The honorees* and their majors (and minors, where applicable):

As the Hellman Fellowships celebrate their 30th year, three more researchers, one from each of UC Merced’s schools, have joined the prestigious ranks of recipients.

Electrical engineering Professor Qian Wang, sociology Professor Meredith Van Natta and Earth systems Professor Adeyemi Adebiyi will receive funding through their fellowships for projects they have proposed.

UC Merced Ph.D. candidates Eliana Fonsah and Nihan Karagul are recipients of the highly competitive dissertation fellowship from the UC Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC).

They competed with doctoral candidates from across the UC system, resulting in about 10% of applicants receiving funding support that allows them more time to focus on completing their graduate research.

A daughter of San Joaquin Valley immigrant farmworkers has earned the opportunity to study alongside a nationally prominent health researcher and energize her mission to improve the well-being of agricultural laborers.

Professor Estee Beck, director of UC Merced’s Merritt Writing Program, has been named to the Academic Advisory Board of the University of California’s National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement .

The Huntington Library in San Marino is one of the world’s greatest sources for independent research in the humanities, with documents and artifacts that span 11 centuries. Scholars from more than 30 nations visit its reading rooms or tap into its digital services.

Each year, the library awards 15 long-term fellowships for high-quality research. Of those, six are named distinguished fellows, an honor for exceptional work in their field of study.

Temnee Wright (’08) has realized a successful career as legal counsel at several Silicon Valley companies. Her interest in law was forged at UC Merced, where she made the most out of being a student in the university’s first undergraduate class.

Wright is the senior commercial counsel for San Jose-based Astera Labs, a semiconductor company that develops connectivity solutions for AI and cloud infrastructures. She negotiates details of and drafts documents for things like software licenses, vendor contracts, real estate leases and strategic partnerships.

Thirteen UC Merced students were honored by the School of Social Science, Humanities and Arts for outstanding undergraduate careers.

At a reception May 15 at Vista Ranch, Dean Leo Arriola said the honorees made their mark with significant research activities, exemplary leadership and notable service to UC Merced and the community. Each student was scheduled to graduate this year with a bachelor's degree and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.

Here are the honorees, listed with their hometown, along with a second major or a minor degree where applicable: