On Nov. 18, the Community Engagement and Outreach (CEO) Unit welcomed more than 100 California high school and community college students, counselors, and educators affiliated with the Umoja Community Education Foundation , to Virtual Umoja Day. The afternoon of online programming featured presentations from UC Riverside campus leaders, panel discussions, and virtual tabling sessions, all designed to introduce prospective students to the resources available at UCR and connect them with the campus community.

The CEO unit has hosted events for Umoja students on campus in the past. This year, though, the unit had to present Umoja Day virtually and used the Hopin platform, which gave attendees the ability to select which presentations they wanted to attend and which campus groups they wanted to interact with, just like they would be able to at an in-person event. "I was glad that there were a variety of sessions for students to visit," an educator who attended the event shared. 

Hey there, my name is Michael Paster and I’m a fifth-year student in both the sociology and education major programs. I plan to graduate in spring 2021. My high school was in Los Angeles and I’m a proud transfer student, receiving an AA in liberal arts from Mt. San Jacinto Community College in 2018.

I let my transfer student identity color my experience at UCR, honing in on events and programs friendly to transfers. The Academic Resource Center (ARC) and the Transfer Success Program have both been indispensable during my time at UCR. They've created opportunities for me to increase my academic success, attend graduate program fairs and even strengthen my networks in the transfer student community through meet-and-greets at UCR.

Mentorship is important to me as a member of the UCR community and the CHASS Transfers F1rst program helped transform that want into practice. They enrich their mentors with skills and healthy expectations so that future cohorts of incoming transfers can benefit from lived experience.

I am proud of my time as a mentor, so to am I proud of my work in Undergraduate Admissions as a member of the Community Engagement and Outreach (CEO) unit. In partnering with the community college excellence program Umoja, the CEO unit serves to support the health of the transfer community at UCR, something I’m deeply passionate about. An instance of our effort was advocating toward bettering the experience of Black transfer students to the president of the UC system in cooperation with students across the UC system. 

After UCR, I hope to further build my skills as an advocate by obtaining a Master of Social Work degree and developing a fulfilling career. My advice to those who come after me is to do things that make you proud because as you grow, your achievements become the steppingstones for your future success.

I transferred to UCR in the fall of 2019 and currently major in ethnic studies. Prior to my time here, I attended Brea Olinda High School and Santiago Canyon College. At Santiago, I was able to be a part of the founding board of the first-ever BSU and also contributed to starting an Umoja chapter on that campus. Here at UCR, I have been able to participate in the Students of Color Conference and Afrikan Black Coalition Conference, as well as participate in Black Lobby Day at the state capitol. I am currently the president of Umoja and was recently awarded a scholarship from the UCR Black Alumni Chapter. Last June, I was voted African Student Programs Incoming Transfer of the Year.

I’m looking forward to this year despite the many uncertainties it may hold. I’m glad to have been able to accomplish so many things in my brief time at UCR. In the past year, I feel that I’ve grown as a leader tremendously. I’m not sure what awaits me after I graduate but I know my time at UCR is giving me the tools I need to take on the world. 

If I had to offer advice for students who might want to attend UCR, I’d say get out of your box. It’s very easy to continue doing things that you’re used to, but it’s much harder to purposely challenge yourself. You don’t know what you’re capable of until you try it, so try it, and even if you fail, you’ll know your limitations, which means you’re that much closer to truly knowing yourself. 

Produced by the CEO unit, the Blue, Gold & BLACK podcast is dedicated to amplifying Black voices at UCR. Hosted by Dominique Beale, CEO admissions recruiter, the bimonthly podcast features interviews with UCR students, staff, faculty, leaders, alumni, and community allies to explore the intersection of being Black and a UCR Highlander during these history-making times.

Guests on the latest episodes include several alumni: Gabriel Maldonado '11, founder of LGBTQ advocacy organization TruEvolution Inc.; Leslie Settle, access services desk coordinator with the UCR Library; Chanel Parish '17, financial and administrative services coordinator with the Career Center; and Victor Moreira '07, academic adviser in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Subscribe and listen to the latest episodes.

African Student Programs, the Associated Students Program Board, and HUB Programs presented the two-day Step Forward: A Social Justice Symposium on Jan. 28 and 29. The virtual event for UCR students will feature workshops, guest speakers, and giveaways. The event concluded with a lecture and Q&A with activist, scholar, and writer Angela Davis. 

Umoja at UCR and the UCR Black Student Union have partnered to launch a new mentorship program for Black students at UCR. Launching later this quarter, the program will match student mentees with student mentors.   
 

UCR's National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter raised over $11,000 in the third annual BCOE Match Challenge to benefit the Dean's Innovation Fund during the fall quarter. NSBE recently announced that it is the first student organization to set up an endowment fund through UCR, meaning that the organization has raised so much money that the pure interest can be used on an annual basis.

The UCR Black Alumni Chapter announced the first two recipients of its new scholarship in early January, Jordan Edwards and Katryna Wallace. Jordan, a junior mechanical engineering majoring, is the vice president of the National Society of Black Engineers, a peer mentor, and is the unmanned ground vehicle mechanical design lead with UCR Unmanned Aerial Systems. Katryna, a senior ethnic studies major, is a CEO ambassador and president of Umoja at UCR. Learn more about the Black Alumni Chapter by following the group on Instagram.  

Deja Aggrey, who earned a political science degree from UCR in 2018, was the first guest for the Career Center's new Alumni Success Story Series. Hosted on Instagram Live, the 20-minute Q&A featured Deja, unit manager with National General Insurance, talking about starting a career after graduation and sharing tips and tricks on how to land the right job, acing the interview, and how to prepare for a job. Check out the archived interview on the Career Center's Instagram. 

UCR students are educated, mentored, and supported by our distinguished faculty and dynamic staff. Read on for news from three excellent UCR faculty and staff members.

John Jennings, media and cultural studies professor, is featured in an episode of the Disney+ documentary series "Marvel's 616." In episode three, "Amazing Artisans," Jennings talks about the importance of representation in popular media. Jennings is an Eisner-award-winning graphic novelist who teaches courses on comic books and Afrofuturism. Learn more about Jennings and his "Marvel's 616" episode from UCR News.  

Nalo Hopkinson, creative writing professor, has been named the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) for her contributions to the literature of science fiction and fantasy. The award recognizes “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy,” with previous recipients including Ursula K. Le Guin and Ray Bradbury. The award will be presented at the 56th Annual Nebula Conference and Awards Ceremony, held online June 4–6. Hopkins is an award-winning novelist whose teaching focuses on the literatures of the fantastic such as science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Learn more about Hopkinson and the award from the SFWA.

Jamal Myrick, director of African Student Programs, has been named the recipient of the 2021 Erica Holloman Award by the Pan African Network of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), College Student Educators International. The award honors professionals who've made significant personal and professional contributions to enhance the mission and vision of the Pan African Network. Myrick, who earned his Ed.D. from Azusa Pacific University, joined the UCR staff in 2014 as a residential director for East Lothian and was named ASP director in 2020. Learn more about the Erica Holloman Award from the ACPA and learn more about Myrick from UCR News.

COVID-19 has introduced new stresses into our already-complicated lives, whether we're struggling with the virus ourselves, caring for loved ones, or simply living in this socially distanced world. Self-care is so essential in this time in whatever form it takes. For CEO Ambassador Michael Paster, one method for self-care and stress-relief is connecting with friends and having fun with virtual games. Read on for his top-five virtual games list then complete this survey [link TK] to share how you are taking care and relieving your stress. We'll share some of your suggestions in our next issue.   

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