Student Leadership
John R. Lewis College Governing Cooperative
The Governing Cooperative, the student government for John R. Lewis College, meets weekly on Thursday nights at 8:00pm. The “GoCo” discusses John R. Lewis College issues as well as greater campus issues and hears requests for funding from campus organizations for their events.
All John R. Lewis College students are eligible to become a member. For more information, please contact c10senate@ucsc.edu or feel free to attend one of our meetings.
We’re holding our meetings over Zoom this quarter, please email for a link.
If you would like to view the recent updates or access documents involving John R. Lewis College Senate, please follow the link below.
Find Your Community
Student Leadership
Leadership Skills
**We’re running into an issue where the audio is only working for folks who are signed into their UCSC account. If you run into this issue, try logging in with your UCSC account, or viewing the transcript at the link below.
Transcript for presentation audio.
Slide 1: Welcome! My name is Michelle Hernandez and I am delighted to present to you “Cultivating Skills” a guide to skill development through participation and involvement at College Nine and John R. Lewis College. In this presentation, we use the metaphor of a Leadership Garden to represent our vision on the process of student skill development. You will encounter our collective definitions of each of these skills and what they each look like at different levels. We all have our own leadership gardens but we tend to them as a community.
Slide 2: We hope that this presentation helps you:
- Assess where your growth is under each of these skills and which skills you wish to grow/tend to
- Encourage you to find the right opportunities to help you tend your garden
- We know that the more students are involved in their college experience (outside the classroom), the more likely they are to succeed. We also know that employers and graduate schools are looking for students to articulate 21st Century skills, which is why we have designed this leadership certificate for you to track all of these skills and involvements!
- In addition, we hope that the definitions in this presentation will serve you as a tool to present, speak, and write about your skill growth in your work, such as in resumes, cover letters, and job applications, to name a few.
Slide 3: The harvest represents the following 7 skill themes. . Under each skill, there are sub skills, these represent the seeds.
For example: For teamwork and collaboration we need seeds of self-awareness and leadership.
The following slides will break down each one of these themes.
Slide 4: We acknowledge that every student brings different skills that have been developed at different levels and capacities. Here you can read about what each level looks like. Signing up for an opportunity is like entering your garden ready to water and tend to it. Each opportunity provides you with the different tools and support that you need depending on where you are. I.e watering cans, shovels, etc. They also offer different experiences, training, and levels of commitments.
(The remaining slides have no audio).
Clubs and Orgs
This video explores some of the clubs and groups we have here at Colleges Nine and Ten. You’ll hear directly from several groups you can join this fall!
Student Groups
John R. Lewis College offers a variety of student groups, leadership opportunities, and student employee positions to engage our students with the college’s theme of Social Justice and Community.
Leadership Opportunities
In addition to Student Groups and Student Employment, John R. Lewis College offers volunteer leadership opportunities.
Teach John R. Lewis College’s 2-Credit Class
Upper Division John R. Lewis College students are invited to apply to teach JRLC 85: Social Justice Issues Workshop — a 2-unit, student-facilitated course in Winter Quarter that consists of a series of presentations, films, and workshops that address personal and cultural identity and examine social, cultural, political, environmental, and other justice concerns. The course creates a dynamic learning community, emphasizing small-group experiential learning as students build leadership skills and a learning community that develops their own culture of inquiry and exploration.
Students can apply to be a JRLC 85 facilitator and earn 5 units (that also fulfill the PR General Education requirement) in late Fall Quarter. Selected student facilitators go through training and meet weekly with an instructor to explore materials, techniques, and tools to facilitate their own weekly section of 15-20 students for JRLC 85. For questions, please contact coco@ucsc.edu.
Co-Facilitate Social Justice and Community Weekend (SJCW)
The Social Justice and Community Weekend (formerly known as Multicultural Community Weekend or MCW) is an overnight retreat for students interested in diving into our college’s themes to discover what social justice and community mean to them. Through a series of structured exercises and discussions, we will explore areas impacting our individual identities (e.g. race, class, sexual orientation, gender), the John R. Lewis College community, and our society as a whole. Learn more about how to apply for SJCW here!
If you have participated in SJCW, you can apply to be a co-facilitator and collaborate with a group of students and staff to develop this year’s retreat. For more information contact coco@ucsc.edu.
Practical Activism Conference Planning
The Practical Activism Conference (PAC) is a day-long social justice conference led and organized by students from College Nine and John R. Lewis College, with the guidance of staff from the CoCurricular Programs Office. Student planners meet weekly in Fall and Winter Quarters, earning a total of 4-units that fulfill the PR General Education requirement. For more information, check out ways to get involved or email coco@ucsc.edu.
College Guides
College Guides are responsible for producing a successful orientation of new College Nine and John R. Lewis College students in the fall. This team assists several other programs throughout the year, serving as tour guides, leaders within the college community, and resources for new students. Recruitment takes place in the spring and requires early return for the fall quarter. This is a volunteer position with great perks! If interested, please contact the Activities Office at acpc910@ucsc.edu.
Rumi’s Field Peer Facilitator
Facilitators live on the Rumi’s Field floor, gain leadership and facilitation experience, and develop skills in nonviolent communication. The applications for this position are due in April for the following academic year. For more information on how to become a peer facilitator email coco@ucsc.edu.
(H)ACER
The Apprenticeship in Community-Engaged Research Program provides undergraduate students with a variety of opportunities to participate in community-engaged scholarship. (H)ACER trains students in participatory research methodologies and creates opportunities for students to work in real world contexts. In collaboration with our community partners, students engage in projects that address pressing issues such as social, economic, educational, and environmental injustice through an approach that pushes against deficit and damage-centered frameworks and honors the cultural, social and epistemological strength of community members.
To explore opportunities for undergraduates, please visit the (H)ACER website.
Student Leadership Recognition
Our students have a myriad of opportunities to get involved and engaged with our colleges through leadership, internships, volunteering and paid positions. We rely on our student leaders to support our community of students through their amazing efforts. We simply could not do what we do without our student leaders. In order to pay tribute and acknowledgment of their efforts, we dedicate this page to our student leaders’ incredible contributions to our Colleges. Thank you and we hope you are inspired to continue this imperative work here and beyond.
Student Leadership Recognition Ceremony
Every year at the end of Spring quarter, we gather with our amazing student leaders to celebrate, acknowledge and honor their contributions to our Colleges. Thank you for all you do for our Colleges!
Jay Johnson Leadership Awards
Jay Johnson was a CSO at College Nine and John R. Lewis College from when College Nine was first founded through Fall of 2006, when he passed away on duty. Jay cared deeply about the students and took time to learn their names, joke and chat with them about their lives, help them out with their questions, and point them in the right direction. He is remembered for his commitment to our colleges and for the positive impact he had in shaping our community. In honor of this amazing individual, the Jay Johnson awards were created.
There are two categories of the Jay Johnson award.
The Jay Johnson Leadership Award is presented to current student leaders who are in their third year or higher. Recipients are selected by College Nine and John R. Lewis College Staff.
The 2025 awardees are:
College Nine: Natalie Morales, Shania Miles
John R. Lewis College: Amanda Harrison, Dean Brown, Marianas Fernandez
Non-Affiliate: Mary Hillenbrand
The Jay Johnson Emerging Student Leader Award is intended for a first or second year student, or who are beginning their student leadership journey. Recipients are both nominated and selected by a committee of current student leaders.
The 2025 awardees are:
College Nine: Chris Hein, Annie Nashaly Pari-Candia
John R. Lewis College: Mahima Johnson
Non-Affiliate: Naomi Beal
Sarah Woodside Bury Award
The Sarah Woodside Bury Award, presented in honor of former Senior Director of College Nine and John R. Lewis College Sarah Woodside Bury, recognizes individuals who have centered sustained and outstanding leadership and service within our communities through their dedication to empathy, generosity, sincerity, and compassion. Like Sarah, these individuals exemplify unwavering commitment to the values and themes of our two colleges – advancing social justice and global understanding – and serve as powerful agents of positive change in our communities and beyond.
There are two categories of the Sarah Woodside Bury award.
The Sarah Woodside Bury Award is presented to current student leaders who are in their third year or higher. Recipients are selected by College Nine and John R. Lewis College Staff.
The 2025 awardees are:
College Nine: Shay Biggins, Elsie Vizcarra
John R. Lewis College: Christine Collins, Ella Chapman
Non-Affiliate: Alana Stone
The Sarah Woodside Bury Emerging Leader Award is intended for a first or second year student, or who are beginning their student leadership journey. Recipients are both nominated and selected by a committee of current student leaders.
The 2025 awardees are:
College Nine: Amaya Aquino
John R. Lewis College: Isaiah Matsunami, Myrelle Quinto, Key Jones
Non-Affiliate: Laaila Irshad
College Service Award
This next award, called the College Service Award goes to students who have contributed significantly to our colleges and campus during their time here.
The 2025 Awardees are:
| College Nine | John R. Lewis | Non-Affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| Zil Arya | Rubí Arana | Curran Advani |
| Shay Biggins | Dean Brown | Malia Altshule |
| Theresa Burgos | Ella Chapman | Elizabeth Cuamani |
| Sam Forsyth | Pilar Cortes- Vega | Arianna Fabian |
| Mia Gibb | Ashna Dhaliwal | Matthew Gold |
| Chris Hein | Marianas Fernandez | Samantha Gutierrez |
| Aliyaa Islam | Chris Flores | Karina Hernandez Andrade |
| Gabriel Johnston | Irving Garcia | Mary Hillenbrand |
| Michelle Li | Elyas Gharavi | Dorothy Li |
| Chyenne Loyd | Amanda Harrison | Elliot-Elyjah Mcwhinnie |
| Shania Miles | Emily Jing | Consuelo Mendoza |
| Natalie Morales | Lizbeth Ku | Isabella Rodriguez |
| Rina Munakata | Jacky Li | Fernanda Ruiz Riedel |
| Sydney Owyang | Alex Pineda | Layla Saad |
| Oliver Pearce | Sara Ryan | Max Sarosi |
| Octavio Pescador | Angel Saucedo | Alana Stone |
| Anouk Priebe-Garcia | Kassandra Saucedo | Isabel Tapia |
| Abby Renfro | Leslie Tinoco | Shurod Tunamal |
| Ani Tonoyan | Nina Ulaganathan | Evelin Vazquez |
| Isabella Vasquez | Sofia Mariano | Iecarus Vizcaino Mendez |
| Elsie Vizcarra | Kev Young | |
| Milan Wilkerson | ||
| Reem Saleem | ||
| Emi Lunt |
College Leadership Certificates
The College Nine Leadership Certificate is an honor that represents significant, sustained leadership connected to the College Nine community and theme of International & Global Perspectives. Over several years, each recipient of the Certificate has participated in various leadership opportunities, ranging from taking college classes, being a member or leader of a college-affiliated group, and holding a student staff position. Through self-nomination and completion of the Leadership Journal, we’re able to recognize the graduates that have actively engaged in our College Nine community and built leadership skills that reflect our themes.
The 2025 College Nine Leadership Certificate recipients are:
| Brandon Amiel Apuntar | Michelle Li | Saúl Ordaz |
| Zil Arya | Shania Miles | Annabel Truong |
| Shay Biggins | Rina Munakata | Elsie Vizcarra |
| Samantha Chang |
College Nine Pathways to Academic Distinction
The College Nine Pathways to Academic Distinction: College Nine strives to recognize students who incorporate the theme of “International and Global Perspectives” during their undergraduate career. The theme focuses on perspectives including: economic globalization, human rights, regional conflicts, the environment, and cultural identity. To encourage outstanding achievement, students may be recognized with “College Nine Academic Distinction” upon successful completion of research experiences, course work, service and leadership and/or writing intensive courses focused on the college theme and being a global leader. Students would build on the topics that were introduced in the College Nine Core Course (CLNI 1) such as: Globalization, Food Justice, Global Inequality, Migration, Universal Human Rights, and What actions individuals and communites can take.
We acknowledge that learning styles and educational commitments are unique and personal. “Academic Distinction” is unique from other college awards, in that all qualifying work is based on research experiences and academic courses taken for credit towards a UCSC undergraduate degree. This award comes with special recognition at commencement, a certificate of achievement signed by the College Nine Provost, and can be used on future resumes and graduate school applications.
The 2025 College Nine Pathways to Academic Distinction recipients are:
| Brandon Apuntar | Alejandra (Ali) Gutierrez-Esquivel | Emily Lunt |
| Zaid Ball | Mallika Hegde | Rina Munakata |
| Antonio Franco | Leilah Hodges | Saúl Ordaz |
| Louisa Gallagher | Yesui Khatanbaatar |
Good Trouble Academy
The Good Trouble Academy (GTA) joins together academic class offerings across campus, co-curricular programming at College Nine and John R. Lewis College, and student-initiated opportunities to support a pathway for students to become social justice change agents. Students will participate in an experience (class, club, internship, etc.) and then complete the reflection on the GTA Canvas course reflecting on how the experience aligned with the principles and enlivened their own educational experience at UCSC.
The 2025 Good Trouble Academy certificate recipients are:
| Pia Marlene Avila | Amanda Harrison | Glomarie Ramos |
| Vanessa Canchola | Ashna Kaur Dhaliwal | Leslie Rodriguez |
| Angel Cervantes | Paayal Khabiya | Angel Saucedo |
| Ella Chapman | Lizbeth Ku | Kassandra Saucedo |
| Pilar Cortes-Vega | Valerie Lentine | Jackson Sherseth |
| Drewv Desai | Jacky Li | Alex Vargas |
| Marianas Fernandez | Sofia Yobel Mariano | Adrian Vega |
| Parsa Ghaffari | Angelique Maylad | Diya Verma |
| Tanya Gyanmote | Saanvi Rajeev | Kelly Danielle Zarate |
Social Sciences Division Awards
Chancellor’s Award and Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Research:
College Nine
Dean’s and Chancellor’s Award
- Baskin School of Engineering – Aurora Hofkin: Biochemical Characterization of Human Astrovirus 1 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
- Baskin School of Engineering – Naomi Rehman: Incorrect-Path Prediction for Power Throttling Speculative Execution
Dean’s Award
- Baskin School of Engineering – Emil Wilson: Annota: Measuring The Impact of AI Feedback for QA Education.
- Baskin School of Engineering – Sriya Katreddi:“Who thought .zip was a good idea”: Analyzing Maliciousness in Newly-Released gTLDs.
- Humanities Division – Emmy Ceron: Bad Bunny: Music with a Purpose.
- Physical & Biological Sciences Division – Stuti Garg: A New Census of the Universe’s Entropy.
- Social Sciences Division – Chelsey Tien: Caregiver’s use of praise during a collaborative problem-solving task involving causal reasoning.
John R. Lewis
Dean’s and Chancellor’s Award
- Arts Division – Gillian O’Leary: Girl Blood, An Original Play.
Dean’s Award
- Arts Division – Annalie Taylor: Stone and Body.
- Baskin School of Engineering – Brian Nguyen & Tejas Polu: Annota: Measuring The Impact of AI Feedback for QA Education.
- Baskin School of Engineering – Prasiddh Pooskur:“Who thought .zip was a good idea”: Analyzing Maliciousness in Newly-Released gTLDs.
- Physical & Biological Sciences Division – Ishan Kollipara: A New Census of the Universe’s Entropy.
- Social Sciences Division – Sophia Spry: AI Driven Welfare Reform: Predictive Risk Models in New Zealand, Chile, and the US. Mentor: Sara Niedzwiecki
- Social Sciences Division – Audrey Yu: Language Effects on Parent-child Conversations About Human Traits.