UC San Diego Alumni

09/06/2026

Congratulations to Keyona Meeks '19, co-founder and general partner at BlackTech Capital, on launching a $2-million fund to back underrepresented founders in climate tech. 👏

"There's no shortage of brilliant climate technology being built right now. The technology crossed the cost threshold more than a decade ago. What's holding the transition back at this point is capital and the people who control it, not the science. And founders of color and women founders are still badly under-invested in by venture, which has nothing to do with the quality of what they're building. My business partner and I built BlackTech Capital to sit right at that intersection. Our first investments back companies working on carbon-to-chemicals conversion, clean power, and EV charging, all led by founders who are underrepresented in venture funding.

We call it profit powered by purpose, because we think this is where the returns are, not just where the good intentions are." -Keyona Meeks '19 🔱

09/05/2026

Alumni: Join us for New Triton Send Off events in your area and help welcome newly admitted students into the UC San Diego community. 🔱👋

Alumni share their Triton knowledge, perspectives and insight into campus life, academics and everything in between. Incoming students and families hear directly from alumni who have walked the path. 🤝

UPCOMING EVENTS:

👉 New York City
Sunday, September 6

👉 San Francisco
Saturday, September 12

🔗 Learn more and register for free: https://bit.ly/49gYMdG

09/04/2026

UC San Diego continues to rank among the best universities in the world. 🌎

We're proud to rank No. 4 among U.S. public universities, No. 14 among all U.S. universities and No. 20 in the world in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

This recognition reflects the extraordinary work of our faculty, students and alumni who are advancing knowledge, driving discovery and tackling some of the world's greatest challenges. 🔱

Read more 🔗 https://bit.ly/4wZSMyp

Repost from UC San Diego.

09/01/2026

A Stellar Sight: Last week's partial lunar eclipse lighting up the night sky above our Fallen Star. 🌔✨

📸: Erik Jepsen

08/28/2026

“I grew up in a small town, Delano, where my parents taught me to dream beyond what we knew.

My parents always told me, ‘Do everything you can to build the life you want. Go to college and experience the opportunities I never had.' My grandparents reminded me that the fields were not the future they wanted for me.

When I applied to college, Los Angeles was the only UC city I knew. I had never visited San Diego, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, or Santa Cruz. Then I visited San Diego, and somehow, I knew this was where I belonged.

I was a girl who rarely went to the beach which was two hours away, didn't even know what a Trader Joe's was, and never imagined what was beyond the Central Valley.

Today, I leave UC San Diego with degrees in global health and human biology—and as the first in my family to earn a bachelor's degree. 🎓

This degree belongs to my family and every sacrifice that made it possible.

UC San Diego gave me more than an education. It gave me growth, lifelong memories, people I love, and the courage to become someone my younger self could only dream of. Forever grateful to Warren College and to the departments of global health and human biology. 🧸🔱🥼🩺”

-Karyme Mariscal ‘26

08/27/2026

08/24/2026

Alumni Spotlight: Get to know Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan '09, Electrical Engineering alumna turned full-time landscape oil painter. 🖼️🎨

"When I moved from India to California in 2007 to attend UC San Diego, tech was all I dreamt about.

My best memories of UCSD are the simple ones: endless hours at Geisel Library, enjoying staring at the Sun God statue, the campus eucalyptus trees, and riding the bus to and from campus. Back then, my world revolved around circuits, exams and TA life. I received my master's degree in electrical engineering from UC San Diego in 2009.

After starting my job as a semiconductor chip design engineer and moving to Orange County, hiking and backpacking soon became a big part of my life, leading me to start a women's outdoors group in OC in 2019. After COVID, painting became a happy accidental discovery that became a deep passion.

In early 2025, after nearly two decades, I left engineering to become a full-time landscape oil painter. Today, I paint California landscapes inspired by the places I hike and backpack through. My studio is a California Green Business because of my sustainable art practices and use of non-toxic materials.

In a short time, my art has received several accolades, press features and a wonderful collector base. I have upcoming solo exhibitions at the California Nature Art Museum and Irvine City Hall. Returning to exhibit at the La Jolla Art and Wine Festival this October feels especially meaningful.

I'm most proud of having the courage to build a life that genuinely makes me happy. My goal is to inspire people to choose a path they genuinely love, help them reconnect with nature through my art and my outdoors group, and encourage more sustainable living.

And hey fellow Tritons: Follow your spark with child-like passion. Nothing in life is too late to change or start over. I still think like an engineer -- I just happen to use those problem solving skills with paint instead of circuits." -Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan '09 🔱

08/21/2026

Get to know our new Alumni Board President: Erikk Aldridge ‘91. 🔱

Erikk is a graduate of Marshall College, majoring in psychology and playing for the UC San Diego Baseball team. He currently serves as the Vice President of Impact for LA28, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee. 🥇

The UC San Diego Alumni Board of Directors was formed in 1974 by a group of devoted alumni. Today, the Board of Directors continues to be led by a dedicated group of individuals who are passionate about advancing the university's mission and fostering a lifelong connection between alumni, students, and the university.

Image Description: Erikk stands in front of the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center, under construction, and answers five questions. Images of him at various events and videos of the center are overlaid.

08/19/2026

UC San Diego has welcomed eight new members to its Alumni Board of Directors, bringing a wealth of experience spanning Hollywood production and business to public policy and medicine. 🔱

The UC San Diego Alumni Board of Directors is composed of a dedicated group of alumni who are passionate about advancing the university's mission and fostering a lifelong connection between alumni, students and the university.

UC San Diego alumni play a key role in the university's success, creating connections that extend far beyond graduation. Through mentorship, volunteerism, advocacy and philanthropy, alumni help open doors for current students, support UC San Diego's mission and continue to strengthen the Triton community.

That spirit of community and connection is particularly timely with the opening of UC San Diego's Triton Alumni and Welcome Center in fall 2026. The new center will be a dedicated gathering place designed to welcome alumni back to campus and deepen their connection to the university and to one another. As UC San Diego enters this exciting new chapter, the Alumni Board of Directors is positioned to help shape even greater opportunities for Tritons to engage, give back and stay connected.

🔗 Get to know the new board members: https://bit.ly/3Sf0rL8

08/18/2026

Alumni: Join us for New Triton Send Off events in your area and help welcome newly admitted students into the UC San Diego community. 🔱👋

Alumni share their Triton knowledge, perspectives and insight into campus life, academics and everything in between. Incoming students and families hear directly from alumni who have walked the path. 🤝

UPCOMING EVENTS:
👉 Shenzhen
Friday, August 21

👉 Silicon Valley
Sunday, August 30

👉 New York City
Sunday, September 6

👉 San Francisco
Saturday, September 12

🔗 Learn more and register for free: https://bit.ly/49gYMdG