Twenty-Five Years of Fostering Changemakers

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• Jen Jordan- [email protected]

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For a quarter of a century, the University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees(UC LEADS) has empowered students systemwide with the experiences, skills and support necessary to meet California's continuing scientific, economic and social challenges.

The two-year program prepares educationally or economically disadvantaged undergraduate students for success within a STEM doctoral program. With four UC LEADS alumni on faculty at UC San Diego, the initiative's legacy diversifies STEM fields and builds communities of belonging where scholars thrive. On our campus, the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs(GEPA) leads the two-year program.

"Our scholars are preparing to drive discovery and positively impact our community, the state and beyond," said Dean Judy Kim. "Thanks to UC LEADS, students are empowered with research experience, educational credentials and leadership skills, developing into well-rounded innovators who will make a difference in the world."

The program offers paid summer research experiences, graduate school advising, faculty mentorship, travel funding and opportunities to present at the annual Koret UC LEADS Research and Leadership Symposium, which connects mentors and scholars from all UC campuses. More than resources, UC LEADS provides a community where scholars feel seen, supported and inspired to thrive.

"Opportunity is ultimately what this initiative is about," said UC LEADS Systemwide Coordinator Ana Guerrero. "This program replaces barriers with opportunity. Every scholar who took a chance on themselves and every campus that continues the pipeline is part of a legacy that continues to strengthen the UC and the state of California."

For Sonya Neal '07, her participation in the program led to a career focused on giving back.

As an undergraduate, Neal was mentored by Professor Marilyn Farquhar, an electron microscopy pioneer and proponent of women in STEM.

Joining UC San Diego as a faculty member in 2018, Neal now pays it forward. Neal is an associate professor of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and co-founded the Biology Undergraduate and Master's Mentorship Program at UC San Diego, which serves Tritons based on the foundation of UC LEADS. She also served on the systemwide program's Executive Steering Committee, which guides the program's direction on a UC-systemwide level. Looking back on her path, Neal said, "I owe it all to UC LEADS."

Rachel Miller '18 found the community and faculty support that allowed her to succeed.

After graduating from UC San Diego, Miller earned a doctorate in materials science from Cornell University and is now a chemist at HP. "The faculty who participate in UC LEADS see you as a whole person with a story and passion, and really want to help you," she shared. "UC LEADS provides a community that supports students' dreams. It puts people who are kind, empathetic and passionate into positions to support others."

Those kind and empathetic supporters instilled in Daniel Maldonado Naranjo '23 a responsibility to create opportunity for students.

Maldonado Naranjo immigrated to the U.S. from a small town in Mexico and began his career at UC San Diego with the pre-college program Academic Community for Engineering Success (ACES) through Jacobs School of Engineering. He was then accepted to UC LEADS, where he was exposed to multiple fields of research.

Now pursuing his doctorate in mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Maldonado Naranjo continues to do cutting-edge research and give back to the community through MIT's Office of Graduate Education. "The legacy of UC LEADS is the community and the confidence this program instilled in all of us," he said. "It gives the scholars the responsibility to continue to open doors for others as doors were opened for us."

That sense of responsibility leads to a boost of confidence, shared Anna Nguyen '25, a member of the most recent cohort of UC LEADS scholars.

As an undergraduate in the UC LEADS program, Nguyen co-authored three papers and traveled around the country to present her research. Her second-summer research, conducted at UC San Francisco, solidified that she was meant to be at the intersection of mechanical engineering and biology in translational research. "UC LEADS has given me the most incredible journey," she shared. "It allowed me to see myself as a scientist at the forefront of incredible research."

As UC LEADS looks ahead, its scholars will create opportunities, challenge barriers and shape a future defined by innovation and inclusion.