Dear Class of 2020

Celebrating the milestone of commencement—and our new Banana Slug alumni!

Submitted photo from Parent
Dear Elliot

You hung in there and finished it up. I am so proud of you and I know you are pleased with yourself, you should be, you did it! These have been especially hard times with the graduate students' strike and then Covid19. So, congratulations! I love you very much and I am so happy for this day. We will remember what a beautiful university you attended and graduated from! Way to go!! On to new chapters in your life...


Sarah Bennett

Parent

Submitted photo from Parent
Sarah Grace our amazing daughter, you have worked so hard to get your Bachelors Degree in just 3 years! we are so very proud of you, and love you so much! Keep shining! Congratulations Class of 2020

Norma & Glenn Grace

Parent

Class of 2020 Slugs,

You have persevered through an unimaginable global crisis and are embarking into unknown terrain. While this new paradigm can overwhelm, it also holds quite infinite potential. I wish you a post-graduate life filled with opportunity, innovation and a lasting impact that will inform our world and way of being for the better. You are the future, class of 2020, and we need you more than ever. Know you are not alone in this. Our community is far reaching and we are here for you. Like banana slugs after the spring rain, charge forward into the world and show your brilliance!

With Love,

Your Fellow Slug Alumni


Kristina Mendez

Class of 2012

Congratulations Class of 2020! Your achievements are even greater in this time of unprecedented change and uncertainty. This is a tough world to go out into in the turbulent times when are all supposed to be safely locked away. Like the graduating class going out into the world after the 2008 financial crash it will be a tough transition, made much tougher by the social limitations that have been imposed globally, but you will rise to the occasion and find a way to bring joy and goodness into the world. I wish you all the best of luck. Stay strong, stay slimy.

CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! Now go take some graduation pictures wherever you are and celebrate your achievements, you may not get to walk at graduation, but you deserve to commemorate the moment!


Courtney Codd

Class of 2012

Congrats to all my hermanas of Sigma Pi Alpha, Sorority, Inc. I am so proud of you ladies and I wish you all the best in your future of endeavors.

Vanessa Garcia

Class of 2017

Submitted photo from Alumni
To the Class of 2020, I want you to realize that, although the current situation presents as a dark cloud over your academic achievement, please remember that "clouds" are not stationary. This shadow of concern, fear and anxiety will pass. It is important that you be ready to seize the opportunity of sunshine that surely awaits in your future ! Do not forget about this part of your journey - in fact, make sure you try to do something that will either prepare us for the next challenge or enable us to avoid a similar challenge ! That is the way you can "change the world!" Every single one of you has that capability !! Just remember ..your "world" might mean just YOU ? ...YOUR FAMILY? ...YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ? ........YOUR CITY?..YOUR STATE ?....YOUR COUNTRY ? Each of you can make this change.....go do it !!!!

Kelvin Filer

Class of 1976

Congratulations!! Change the World! Forever Slug!

Che LeSeur

Class of 1989

Congratulations, Class of 2020! You have potentially endured a lot of loss, disappointment, and unmet expectations not being able to walk across that stage and accept your diploma, but you are virtually graduating with everything we need right now to make the world better - grit, passion, perseverance, adaptability, intelligence, understanding, hope and a sense of social justice. You are joining a distinguished group of banana slugs across the globe who are proud to welcome you and get to work. ❤️🌎. Onward!!

Class of 1999

Congratulations Class of 2020! You made it! You can do anything! Once this pandemic is over, we know you will all get the celebration that you all deserve for your hard work. The most difficult time is behind you, and you have a whole future to look forward to. So fellow banana slugs...upward and onward!

Monica M

Class of 1999

POGGERS IN THE CHAT

Kameronjeet GIll

Class of 2018

Submitted photo from Parent
Congratulations, with love for the daughter you are and with pride in the amazing person you are becoming. Hope you know how proud we are and how much we love you.

Ashley Parrilla

Parent

Congratulations Class of 2020. This year is not what we all expected, however, we have persevered through. I am so proud of you all. Navigating through college is never easy especially juggling between online classes and personal life. Nonetheless, you all have made it! Congrats again,

from a fellow Banana Slug.


Ariana Flores

Class of 2015

Congratulations Class of 2020! You did it.

Remember, as you enter this brave new world - your attitude is everything. It will determine where you go and who you meet.

Cheers to you.

Paige


Paige Fowler

Class of 2003

Congratulations Class of 2020. This year is not what we all expected, however, we have persevered through. I am so proud of you all. Navigating through college is never easy especially juggling between online classes and personal life. Nonetheless, you all have made it! Congrats again,

from a fellow Banana Slug.


Ariana Flores

Class of 2015

Shout out to Marleni, Roxy, Maya, Diego(?), and all the other homies graduating!

Jon Balderrama

Class of 2015

Submitted photo from Staff
The world needs your resilience! The world needs YOU!

Staff

Congratulations! You worked so hard and made it so far. Keep pushing. You're going to continue to do great things.

Staff

Congratulations! Now go make your difference in the world. World need smart people with huge hearts and creative mind such as you.

Shiva Abbaszadeh

Faculty

Submitted photo from Alumni
Congratulations on all of your hard work and perseverance, and welcome to the Banana Slug Alumni Family! We are all immensely proud of your achievements and excited about the contributions you will make to our world. FIAT SLUG!

Deb Tracy

Class of 1989

Class of 2020, you have captured our hearts as we've wondered how each of you are navigating this time in history. We search online for glimpses of how you are doing. From what I've seen and heard, you are an amazing and resilient graduating class. I wish you could hear our collective applause for what you have accomplished and for the incredible human beings you are. Class of 2020, you will inspire us all in the days and years ahead - I have no doubt. When you hit those moments of uncertainty, doubt, and feeling overwhelmed by it all, remember that you are part of the strong, creative, resourceful, intelligent, and caring UCSC Community. We are in this together. We are CELEBRATING YOU!!!

Barbara Oden-Petree

Staff