Aggies at the helm

What begins at UC Davis doesn’t stop at graduation. For these three alumni, it led all the way to the president’s office — shaping the future of higher education at universities across the country.

UC Davis student graduates after more than 47 years

Deborah Thompson Austin of UC Davis’ alumni association will instruct hundreds of undergraduates to move the tassel on their graduation cap from left to right at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center Saturday morning.

For her husband, Ron Austin of Fairfield, California, it will be a moment — and degree — more than 47 years in the making.

The 66-year-old is proud he has finally completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in political science, but he sees his life as a cautionary tale that he shares with first-year students.

2024-25 Affinity Network and Aggie Parent and Family Association Scholarship Winners

 The Cal Aggie Alumni Association recognizes the 2024-25 Affinity Network and APFA Scholarship Award Recipients.

On behalf of the donors, volunteers, the CAAA Board, the African and African Alumni Association (5A), Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association (CLAA), and the Aggie Parent and Family Association (APFA), congratulations to the 2024-2025 recipients with outstanding leadership and dedication to the UC Davis community.

Alum’s journey from UC Davis football captain to winemaker

Former Aggie football captain Derek Baljeu ’17, M.S. ’18 has found his calling in the world of wine, bringing his dedication from the game field to the vineyards as a winemaker in Napa Valley.

After taking the class “Introduction to Winemaking” his first year to fulfill a general education requirement, Baljeu says he fell in love with the subject. He soon changed his major to viticulture and enology and began his first winemaking internship at a small family winery.

Applications now open for 2025-26 Continuing Undergraduate Scholarship

More than $7 million in merit scholarships is available for continuing students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships opened the 2025-26 Continuing Undergraduate Scholarship Application Oct. 1 and offer several online information sessions to help students with the application.