“Life is a journey, not a destination…” Those are words of wisdom from American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. But according to three keynote alumni speakers at UC San Diego’s commencement ceremonies life isn’t just about the journey, it’s about the people you meet along the way.
The University of California, San Diego today announced that UC San Diego alumni Sue and Steve Hart, and businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, will receive the 2014 Chancellor’s Medals—one of the highest awards given by UC San Diego to honor exceptional service in support of the campus’s mission.
As the first in her family to attend a four-year university, Sierra Turner learned that it takes heart and commitment to achieve success. Upon graduating from UC San Diego in 2009, she worked for two years with underserved students at an elementary school in Vista. Burdened by the reality that she had educational opportunities that many of her students lacked, she decided to join Teach for America—a national nonprofit whose mission is to improve educational equity. Turner is one of 37 UC San Diego alumni who have been selected this year to teach in some of the nation’s most underserved schools.
Carol Padden, an award-winning scholar of sign languages and a longtime member of the University of California, San Diego community, has been appointed dean of the Division of Social Sciences at UC San Diego, effective Oct. 1, 2014. The appointment follows an extensive national search.
Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a nanoshell to protect foreign enzymes used to starve cancer cells as part of chemotherapy. Their work is featured on the June 2014 cover of the journal Nano Letters.
A standout leader and tireless health education promoter, Damini Tandon has been named this year’s Outstanding Senior. A bioengineering-biotechnology major graduating from Warren College, Tandon’s work focuses on increasing access to medical care for underserved communities in San Diego and abroad.
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