University of California, Merced - Brenda Ortiz

Hundreds Gather at ��ϰٿ� to Explore Graduate School Pathways

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 16:02:26 +0000

By Brenda Ortiz, ��ϰٿ�

October 30, 2025

Students, staff, recruiters and volunteers came from across California.

��ϰٿ� buzzed with energy as nearly 800 students and 200 recruiters, staff and volunteers from across California converged on campus on Oct. 18 for the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education - a dynamic event dedicated to inspiration, inclusion and academic ambition.

Diversity Forum is a collaboration with public and private colleges and universities from across California.

"This is a day to celebrate diversity, graduate education and the greatness of education right here in California," said Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education Hrant Hratchian during the morning kick-off and introduction of ��ϰٿ� soil biochemistry Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, who gave an uplifting plenary session

"The graduate school journey is not necessarily easy, but it is so worth it," Berhe said. "You are where you are because of your brilliance, your potential, your unique contributions that that are desperately needs."

Berhe wove insights from her family's heritage and the wisdom she's cultivated through her work with soil.

"Keep pursuing education because education is the only lasting wealth in this world… be purposeful in building and nurturing a supportive professional community," she said as she described plants that share resources through connected roots. "The most successful plants aren't the ones that try to do it all by themselves. They're the ones that are connected to a robust network.

"I wouldn't be where I am today without my village: my family, my mentors, my colleagues and collaborators. Be purposeful about building and nurturing a professional community. Seek out mentors who will see your potential, find peers who will celebrate your wins and support you through challenges."

Following Berhe's talk, students chose from workshops ranging from "Keys to Success and Survival in Graduate School" to "How to Finance Your Graduate Education" to help demystify graduate school.

"Today's workshops help students get more insight about what's involved in going to graduate school: what that process is, how to get there and what you can expect once you get there, how to better prepare for it, and thinking beyond it in terms of careers," said Pamela D. Jennings, associate vice provost for Graduate Studies for the University of California Office of the President.

A key draw for the day was a recruitment fair with more than 100 graduate program representatives from across the nation, including University of California campuses, California State University campuses, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michigan State University among others.

Representatives were on hand to answer questions and help demystify the process to apply and succeed in graduate school.

"They're getting that opportunity to meet their, you know, their peers, whether they're from their home campus or from other campuses," said April Lane, graduate student resource specialist in the Office of Graduate Studies at Cal State San Bernardino. "And they're getting a chance to talk to some of the leading institutions in the country."

Emely Echavarria, a psychology and child development fourth-year student from Chico State University, said the forum allowed her to get out of her comfort zone.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know more about ��ϰٿ� as well as the different graduate programs that came today," she said. "I've learned it's possible to go to graduate school and even with the struggles, there are a lot of resources schools offer."

Third-year statistics student Chris Liu, who attends Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, said he was excited to speak to representatives from UCLA and learn about the campus's new data science graduate program.

"I wanted to network with people from other schools, and this seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about grad school and prepare myself," he said.

Karla Ruiz Vega was one of more than 100 ��ϰٿ� undergraduates in attendance. The fourth-year management and business economics student learned about the Diversity Forum as an intern with ��ϰٿ�'s Graduate Division.

"It was the perfect opportunity to network with other schools and see the resources they could provide me," she said. "I've been able to network not just with representatives but other students as well. That gives me a different perspective to the possibilities for different programs."

Lisanny Manzueta Custodio, associate director of Graduate Student Support and Diversity for the Graduate School at University at Albany, said the day was an excellent opportunity.

"We're super interested in recruiting amazing talented students. This is a great opportunity for students to be able to connect schools from all over the country and for us to reach students who we might not otherwise be able to connect with," she said.

The day concluded with more workshops and discipline panel sessions featuring faculty and graduate students from ��ϰٿ� and others.

"It's so important for universities to come together in spaces like this so students know that there's a future, that there's potential, and there are so many people who want to support them on their journey," Jennings said. "And that's particularly important now that students get that encouragement and that universities understand that they have a role to play to make sure that our state and our nation is supporting and uplifting all people."

Media Contact

Senior Public Information Representitive

Office: (209) 228-4203

Mobile: (209) 628-8263

bortiz@ucmerced.edu

Founding ��ϰٿ� Staffer Wraps Up 45 Years in Law Enforcement

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 21:02:17 +0000

By Brenda Ortiz

August 28, 2025

After 20 years with ��ϰٿ�, Tamela Adkins retires from the police department.

On Aug. 12, 2005, less than one month before ��ϰٿ� opened its doors to undergraduate students, Tamela Adkins joined the campus’s Police Department as support services manager.

Intially, her role included managing records and evidence, overseeing the police dispatch center and hiring. She later added responsibility for the administrative unit and a federally required annual report of security policy and crime statistics..

Tears filled her eyes as she expressed what the past 20 years have meant to her.

“My blood, sweat and tears are part of the ground that gets moved when something new gets built on campus,” said Adkins, who retires this month as Protective Services business operations manager. “Through the good times and the tough times, we are all part of the sweat, the tears and the joy.”

��ϰٿ� was the second stop on a 45-year career in law enforcement. Before joining the university, she worked for 23 years with the California Highway Patrol. One of her first duties at ��ϰٿ� was hiring the campus’s first three police officers prior to opening day. That included Chou Her, now the assistant vice chancellor of Public Safety and chief of police.

“Tamela has been a remarkable representative of the ��ϰٿ� Police Department and a champion of what it means to serve our university community,” Her said. “She is an important part of the department because she is the one behind the scenes that makes us successful and ready to serve our campus.”

Adkins said she and other founding staff relied on any knowledge, skill or experience they brought to ��ϰٿ� to figure out what was needed and get it accomplished.

“It was hardworking people trying to make our students experience what they would get if they went to a more established campus,” she said. “Whether they needed to get a ticket signed off or file a report, we’re going to provide them with the same service they would get at another campus, but we’re smaller and have the opportunity to genuinely care about their circumstances.”

Her start in law enforcement began just days after she earned her diploma. “I graduated high school on a Friday and started at the Los Banos Police Department as a file clerk the following Monday.”

She was later hired as a call taker for the California Highway Patrol in 1983 and promoted to 9-1-1 dispatcher in 1984.

“It instantly became refreshing. In a 9-1-1 dispatch center, people call you when they are at their worst,” Adkins said. “Here on campus, you see people at their best: getting an education and striving to support their family. I feel like I went from making a living to having a profession.”

Many of her years at ��ϰٿ� focused on making the campus community more resilient when an emergency or disaster strikes. She put together the campus’s emergency notification system in 2007 after the Virginia Tech mass shooting tragedy.

She was instrumental in developing the ��ϰٿ�’s emergency operations plan in 2009 and started the campus’s Building Safety Coordinator program in 2011. She later established the campus’s Live Scan fingerprinting services.

“When something came up, I said I’ll figure out how to do it. I must know somebody who knows somebody that can tell me what the path is for that,” Adkins said.

“I think people often shortchange themselves when they think about joining the campus and they don’t have a degree,” she said. “While education is important, so is experience, knowledge and skills. I didn’t have the paper degree when I got here, and I wondered what that experience feels like.”

It was that curiosity that led Adkins, a first-generation student, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology at ��ϰٿ� while continuing to work full-time.

She amassed the course credits she had completed at several Central Valley community colleges and completed her associate’s degree at Merced College before transferring to ��ϰٿ� in 2010. She fulfilled her graduation requirements in December 2014 and participate in the May 2015 commencement ceremony at age 53.

“Our students and their enthusiasm gave me the energy and enthusiasm. In turn, I hope I taught them confidence and to believe in their strengths,” she said.

One highlight over the past two decades was hiring students, especially alumni, as staff. “It’s a joy to hire people,” she said. “Bringing our students in and handing the reigns to them is sustainability.”

Cyenna Maldonado worked for the police department while she was a student, and she was hired as a staff member after graduating in 2024.

“Tamela has been a mentor, leader and steady presence for the ��ϰٿ� Police Department,,” Maldonado said. “Her dedication has truly shaped how this department runs. Tamela will be deeply missed, but the foundation she leaves behind is one that this department will continue to grow and build on for years to come.”

What’s next?

Adkins said her husband of nearly 30 years is retired and home by himself when she’s at work, “so he is over the moon” She enjoys gardening on their one-acre lot and has an 18-month-old puppy that will keep her busy.

As a member of the Merced Breakfast Lions Club for 15 years she will have more time for community service projects, as well as other volunteer work.

“I hope to be able to come back and volunteer at commencement. I’d also like to volunteer at assisted living or long-term care places,” she said.

Adkin’s journey reflects resilience, growth and a passion for both public safety and education.

“Her retirement is bittersweet for the department,” Her said. “We will miss her, her dedication to our organization, her commitment to getting things done right and her steadfast commitment to service.”

Media Contact

Senior Public Information Representitive

Office: (209) 228-4203

Mobile: (209) 628-8263

bortiz@ucmerced.edu

Founding ��ϰٿ� Staffer Wraps Up 45 Year in Law Enforcement

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 19:02:30 +0000