Chancellor, students named Yosemite Ambassadors

Considering the close ties between UC Merced and Yosemite National Park, it should be no surprise that several members of the campus community, including Chancellor Dorothy Leland, have been named Yosemite Centennial Ambassadors.

Leland and students Alejandra Guzman and Moses Chun are among a diverse group of park supporters and advocates selected to help the National Park Service celebrate its centennial.

UC Merced has more than a decade of partnership with Yosemite and is the only university to have a research facility in the park.

Much of the research in the park is conducted through the Sierra Nevada Research Institute and focuses on the park and its ecosystems. Yosemite offers a diverse array of research partnership opportunities that connect students, faculty members and park scientists.

UC Merced’s Yosemite Field Station offers students of all ages chances to learn about science, research and leadership in an interactive environment. Students participating in UC Merced’s Yosemite Research Experience for Undergraduates program work on individual research projects, and the Yosemite Leadership Program offers summer internships in the park for UC Merced undergraduates.

“I’ve visited Yosemite since I was a child, and over the years I continue to be inspired by the natural beauty that I experience there,” Leland wrote for the ambassadors’ website. “And so, it is a special pleasure to be leading a university that is deeply connected to Yosemite.”

Other centennial ambassadors include University of California President Janet Napolitano, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, historian and filmmaker Dayton Duncan, Yosemite Conservancy President and CEO Frank Dean, professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe, and world-class rock climbers such as Conrad Anker, Beth Rodden, Tommy Caldwell and Timmy O’Neill.

The Yosemite Centennial Ambassadors will help the park connect with and inspire the next generation of park visitors, supporters and champions and commemorate the National Park Service’s centennial on Aug. 25.

Each ambassador has been asked to share her or his experiences and love for Yosemite by attending special events, posting stories and photos on social media, and helping the park to attract new stewards and supporters. Photos and biographies of the Yosemite Centennial Ambassadors are featured on the park’s website, and their stories and experiences will be shared on the park’s Instagram and Facebook social media feeds.

“These experiences in Yosemite have definitely helped mold me into the person I am today,” wrote Guzman, who is now a park ranger through YLP. “I discovered a love for nature and the outdoors by visiting Yosemite for the first time. I got my first work experience in Yosemite. All of this has definitely helped me grow as a more confident leader and believe in myself, and it’s because of all of this that I love Yosemite.”

Student is a winner at Clinton event

Besides attending Clinton Global Initiative University with 1,200 other college students from around the world, UC Merced student Hoaithi Dang helped his team win the weekend’s “Code for Impact” event in partnership with the Clinton Health Matters Initiative.

The ninth annual meeting brought student leaders together with experts, entrepreneurs and civically engaged celebrities to talk about issues of global concern and make “Commitments to Action” to address this generation’s most pressing challenges.

In the lead-up to the CGI U meeting, which took place April 1-3 at UC Berkeley, students had the opportunity to participate in a two-day coding event nicknamed the “Codeathon.” They were challenged to build original prototypes to promote emotional wellness on campus. Two teams emerged the winners, including the Be Well Team, of which Dang was a member.

In 36 hours, the six-member team developed a mobile platform called Be Well that enables users to reflect on their emotional well-being at any moment and interact with others in the same emotional state. The application addresses the problem of isolation by using a platform centered on creating authentic human interactions.

“We’ve all had the feeling of being isolated,” Dang said. “This is a way of engaging with others who feel like you do.”

In addition to the Codeathon, Dang and fellow UC Merced student attendees Adrianna Gomez and Gabriel Morabe networked with others to make commitments to action on education, poverty alleviation, peace and human rights, public health, and the environment and climate change.

“It was an amazing experience,” Dang said. “Once in a lifetime.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Chancellor, students named Yosemite Ambassadors."