With 250,000 living alumni, UC Davis is making waves far beyond its campus.

UC Davis graduates have gone on to become leaders in science and technology, politics and entrepreneurship, sports and the arts and much more. UC Davis Magazine has been telling alumni stories for 35 years. A newly redesigned website offers articles from the twice-yearly publication for free.

With the launch, UC Davis Magazine aims to broaden its web presence and reach a wider audience. The site replaces the previous one, which debuted in 1997 and was last redesigned in 2007.

Each issue of the magazine features alumni stories, as well as information on university news, faculty research and general interest topics. These are just a few of the inspiring stories that have appeared on its pages recently. 

1. Hasan Minhaj hits the comedy big time

After a breakout gig on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, Hasan Minhaj ’07 returned to UC Davis last year to film his Netflix special at the Mondavi Center. The popular one-man show, “Homecoming King,” went on to win Minhaj a 2018 Peabody Award in the entertainment category.

Minhaj spoke with UC Davis Magazine about embarking on his comedy career while still a student at UC Davis, tackling tough topics and more. “I still think that being as personal and honest onstage is the most valuable commodity in art,” he said.

Most recently, the alumnus announced he will host and executive produce a weekly talk show scheduled to launch on Netflix in late 2018. He is scheduled to leave The Daily Show in July.

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Seriously Funny

The UC Davis alumnus will be returning to his hometown, performing at his alma mater, and his act will be taped for a live comedy special.

2. Impassioned alumni work for important causes

Doctor. Community organizer. Peer counselor. Outdoors enthusiast. UC Davis Magazine featured nine alumni who have turned their passions into activism, working to make a difference in their work for their varied causes.

Take the cover star of the spring/summer 2018 issue, Nadine Burke Harris, M.D. ’01. A medical doctor, Burke Harris has dedicated her career to toxic stress and the lifelong effects it can have on our health. Her first book, The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity, published in January, details what she calls a public health crisis.

Still other grads have become strong advocates for mental health awareness, those living in war zones and the importance of gaining a greater presence in the entertainment industry for those with disabilities.

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The Advocates

These UC Davis alumni turned their passions into activism, working to make a difference in their work for their varied causes.

3. The space-faring professor with the heart of a musician

As an undergraduate at UC Davis, Stephen Robinson ’78 played the tuba in the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! Of course he went on to enjoy a 36-year career at NASA that included four space shuttle missions and three space walks.

The professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering showed his musical talent to UC Davis Magazine at a gig for his folk group, Bandella, which is made up of mostly retired astronauts.

“The great thing about music is that you can take it with you wherever you go, you can participate as much as you want, and you can constantly learn,” said Robinson.

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Aerospace Musician

While astronaut and UC Davis professor Stephen Robinson had his head in and above the clouds, his heart was always in music.

4. These young alumni are reshaping the field of journalism

In newspapers, radio, TV and on the web, UC Davis alumni are breaking news, winning major awards and making a difference. At a time when the state of news is a hot topic, these alumni have front-row seats. UC Davis Magazine interviewed several who are taking up the mantle in journalism.

Investigative reporter Matthias Gafni ’98 and criminal justice reporter Angela Ruggiero ’10 are both on staff at Oakland’s East Bay Times and spent many months covering the disastrous Ghost Ship fire in 2016, when 36 people died during a concert held in a warehouse space that had been converted into a residential art collective. They won a 2017 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting.

Michael Bott ’07 is an investigative producer with NBC affiliate KNTV Bay Area and part of a team that won a 2016 Peabody Award for the “Arrested at School” series that examined local school districts’ reliance on police to handle student discipline.

As a producer at ABC’s “Nightline,” Ignacio Torres ’10 won a 2016 Emmy for the “Brave Face” series that followed a face transplant recipient after his operation.

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Inside the Newsroom

At a time when the state of the news is a hot topic, these UC Davis alumni have a front-row seat.

5. UC Davis alumni help transform Sacramento

Some successful alumni have moved across the Causeway to make their mark in Sacramento. As the region continues to stage its remarkable comeback from recession, a few UC Davis grads are helping propel the capital city forward. UC Davis Magazine recently spotlighted 11 of them.

One of them, Darrell Steinberg, J.D. ’84, won the mayorship in 2016. Part of his mission, he said, was to create more job opportunities for graduates of universities like UC Davis.

Also among the 11 alumni featured, Andrea Lepore ’92 co-founded a successful group of restaurants, helping establish midtown as a dinner destination. Urijah Faber ’03, fresh from retirement from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, expanded his local gym and entered a plethora of health-oriented businesses. And after a deal-getting appearance on “Shark Tank,” Chris Johnson ’02 built a ramen noodle bowl into a multimillion-dollar venture.

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Capital Ideas

As the Sacramento area continues its remarkable comeback from recession, a few UC Davis grads are helping propel the capital city forward.

6. This bestselling author's book will soon be a motion picture

Lauren Kate, M.A. ’09, published two books the year she graduated from the creative writing program at UC Davis. The second, Fallen, topped the New York Times bestsellers, boasts more than 3 million copies in print and has been made into a major motion picture, released in September 2017.

“Overall, the movie distills the essence of the book in a way that makes me proud,” Kate told UC Davis Magazine.

The love story, part of a young adult series published by Penguin Random House, came to her in a religion class at UC Davis. She is now the author of 11 books, with two more in progress.

Read more about Lauren Kate and other notable UC Davis alumni here.