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First-Generation Initiative
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</li> <li> <a href="/blog">Blog</a> </li> <li> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="l-container "> </div> <div class="l-container"> <section class=" l-basic--flipped "> <div class="l-content"> <div class="region region-content"> <div id="block-sitefarm-one-content" class="panel--nested block block-system block-system-main-block panel o-box"> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-sf-articles-latest-blog view-id-sf_articles_latest_blog view-display-id-page_2 js-view-dom-id-afeeb2bf567f5590c627c4641f89fe02c483eb5b1bc851720b9c437797bd6cf5"> <div class="view-content"> <article class="node node--type-sf-article node--sticky vm-teaser category-brand--california vm-teaser--featured"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/news/jeanette-b-ruiz-named-faculty-lead-uc-davis-first-generation-initiative" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/jeanette-ruiz-first-gen-web.jpg?h=c673cd1c&itok=X4b9Gz7X" width="135" height="135" alt="Jeanette B. Ruiz stands with a hand on her hip in the middle of Shields Library courtyard. She is wearing a blue T-shirt with a colorful graphic that says #firstgen college grad UC Davis." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/news/jeanette-b-ruiz-named-faculty-lead-uc-davis-first-generation-initiative" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Jeanette B. Ruiz named faculty lead for UC Davis First-Generation Initiative</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="byline">by <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>Jenny Carrick</span> </span> </span></li> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-11-08T14:52:39-08:00" title="Friday, November 8, 2024 - 2:52pm" class="datetime">November 08, 2024</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="california vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/articles/stories-topics" hreflang="en">Stories: Topics</a></li> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>First-generation UC Davis students and their allies gathered Nov. 8 to form a<a href="https://eop.ucdavis.edu/events/first-gen-college-celebration-day" rel="nofollow"> human No. 1, showcasing the first-generation community at UC Davis</a> as part of the National First-Generation College Celebration. Expanding that support to include first-generation faculty, UC Davis Undergraduate Education recently named Associate Professor of Teaching Jeanette B. Ruiz to lead the <a href="https://firstgen.ucdavis.edu/" rel="nofollow">First-Generation Initiative</a> into its next phase.</p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/eduardo-silva" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/eduardo_lab_firstgen.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=SADToKBu" width="135" height="135" alt="Associate Professor Eduardo Silva aims to produce, characterize and validate naturally-occurring polymers that can be used as biomaterial systems for therapeutic applications. These polymeric materials can both mimic or enhance the signaling between and within cell populations and regulate tissue regeneration. The systems described in his research could represent an attractive new generation of therapeutic delivery vehicles for the treatment of various diseases, particularly vascular diseases." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/eduardo-silva" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Mentorship Makes a Difference - Eduardo Silva</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-02-28T14:18:33-08:00" title="Thursday, February 28, 2019 - 2:18pm" class="datetime">February 28, 2019</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item">Eduardo Silva, Associate Professor at UC Davis, shares his stories on first-generation college grads. He talks about the importance of mentors in high school and graduate school.</div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/news/teaching-resources/jeanette-ruiz" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/Screen%20Shot%202021-08-23%20at%2011.59.19%20AM.png?h=ecbd30c9&itok=O0cBztYm" width="135" height="135" alt="Jeanette Ruiz" class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/news/teaching-resources/jeanette-ruiz" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Jeanette Ruiz - FirstGen Story (Video)</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-10-18T10:28:42-07:00" title="Thursday, October 18, 2018 - 10:28am" class="datetime">October 18, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item">Jeanette Ruiz Department of Communication <p>Communications professor Jeanette Ruiz shares her first generation college student story. </p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/carole-hom" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/images/article/Carole%20Hom.JPG?h=dec1b43b&itok=rtIBP6GH" width="135" height="135" alt="Carole Hom " class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/carole-hom" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Pave the Way for your Interests - Carole Hom</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-10-15T15:53:03-07:00" title="Monday, October 15, 2018 - 3:53pm" class="datetime">October 15, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item">Carole Hom, PhD serves as the Academic Coordinator for the UC Davis Post-baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP) and has worked as a lecturer for the Mathematics Department.</div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/nicelma-king" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/images/article/2017NJK%20Headshot.jpeg?h=d7e1f74b&itok=rF9m0I-p" width="135" height="135" alt="Professor Nicelma King, Headshot" class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/nicelma-king" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">"The Post Office is Hiring:" An English Major's Journey to JPL, the Rand Corporation, and Higher Education - Nicelma King</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-09-27T11:46:53-07:00" title="Thursday, September 27, 2018 - 11:46am" class="datetime">September 27, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><strong>Nicelma King</strong> Chair, African American and African Studies <p dir="ltr"><em>- Interviewed by Foxy Robinson</em></p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/julie-sze" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/firstgen_stories_Julie_Sze.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=TQNSUSJF" width="135" height="135" alt="Julie Sze is a professor in and chair of the department of American Studies at UC Davis, and is the founding director of the Environmental Justice Project for UC Davis’ John Muir Institute for the Environment. Her research investigates environmental justice and environmental inequality; culture and environment; race, gender and power; and urban/community health and activism." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/julie-sze" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Immigrant Families, American Dreams - Julie Sze</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-03-13T15:43:22-07:00" title="Tuesday, March 13, 2018 - 3:43pm" class="datetime">March 13, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><strong>JULIE SZE</strong> grew up in New York City’s Chinatown, where her father worked in the restaurant industry after emigrating from China. She attended a “striving immigrant school” oriented toward success in math and science, and was expected to go to college in preparation for a professional career. “This is very typical for a working class Asian immigrant family– it’s tied to the narrative of the American dream.”</p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/milmon-harrison" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/firstgen_stories_Milmon_Harrison.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=4UIVCBiv" width="135" height="135" alt="Milmon Harrison is Senior Lecturer in African American and African Studies and Associate Dean for the Division of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies. He earned his BA in Sociology from UC Davis in 1994 with highest honors and a departmental citation. His research and teaching interests include sociology of religion; the Black church in America; American race/ethnic relations; social stratification; and the representation of African Americans in popular culture." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/milmon-harrison" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Milmon Harrison</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-03-13T15:39:27-07:00" title="Tuesday, March 13, 2018 - 3:39pm" class="datetime">March 13, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>FROM THE</strong> principal’s office to a successful dance career to a seven-year college journey, Milmon Harrison’s path to being a professor was full of the unexpected. A New Orleans native, he grew up in Hunter’s Point and the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco before moving to Stockton and attending middle and high school in Lodi. <strong>“</strong>That I would end up being a professor is so weird to me because even though I was a smart kid, I didn’t always do well in school. I was easily bored and would always talk to my friends.</p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/susan-rivera" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/firstgen_stories_susan_rivera_2.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=_BTyBy6z" width="135" height="135" alt="Susan Rivera is Professor in the Department of Psychology with appointments in the Center for Mind and Brain, the MIND Institute, and the Center for Neuroscience, and leads a lab that researches human neurocognitive development with an emphasis fragile X syndrome, autism and Down syndrome." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/susan-rivera" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Susan Rivera</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-03-13T15:15:38-07:00" title="Tuesday, March 13, 2018 - 3:15pm" class="datetime">March 13, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item">Growing up in the industrial city of Gary, Indiana, Susan Rivera never dreamed that she would one day head a neuroscience lab researching cognitive development. “College was always part of my plan,” she says, “but as a means to an end. All you think about when you’re growing up poor is having a solid job.” Rivera’s parents had migrated to Gary from Puerto Rico so her father could work in the steel mills. The youngest of thirteen children, her family was loving and happy, but there was no money to spare, and no guidance for getting into college. “I had to do that on my own, and I was a little clueless,” she says. Fortunately, she ended up attending Indiana University – Bloomington, a top public research university.</div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/john-terning" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/firstgen_stories_John_Terning.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=mKXLFfzu" width="135" height="135" alt="John Terning is a Professor of Physics at UC Davis with extensive postdoctoral research at Yale, Boston University, the University of California Berkeley, and Harvard. He is also a former staff member at Los Alamos National Lab and the author a graduate textbook on supersymmetry." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/john-terning" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">John Terning</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-03-12T15:49:03-07:00" title="Monday, March 12, 2018 - 3:49pm" class="datetime">March 12, 2018</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>PHYSICS</strong> Professor John Terning grew up in Canada, the son of parents who emigrated from a small town in Norway where an eighth-grade education was the norm. His parents expected him to make the most of the free higher education offered by their adopted home country.</p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/joseph-sorensen" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/images/article/firstgen_stories_Joseph_Sorensen_0.jpg?h=9e499333&itok=9UT5-KVD" width="135" height="135" alt="Joseph Sorensen" class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/joseph-sorensen" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">From Poverty to Poetry: Education as a Pathway to a Better Life - Joseph Sorensen </span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-11-08T16:14:46-08:00" title="Wednesday, November 8, 2017 - 4:14pm" class="datetime">November 08, 2017</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><strong>I GREW UP</strong> in San Francisco in impoverished circumstances. Both of my parents were food-service employees, but by the time my two younger siblings were school-age, my father was an addict living on the streets and my now-single mother was on welfare struggling to raise three children. School was a haven for me, but also a place where I could clearly see the differences between my own circumstances and those of my peers. I was lucky to have close friends and caring teachers who believed that education was a key to success. For me, that meant a </p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/john-harada" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/firstgen_stories_John_Harada.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=tf0rAI-a" width="135" height="135" alt="John Harada is a Professor of Plant Biology at UC Davis and Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Biological Sciences. Harada's research program focuses on plant developmental biology. Specifically, his lab uses genomic, molecular, genetic, and biochemical approaches to define the mechanisms that underlie and control embryo and seed development in higher plants. In 2006, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 2013 he was electe" class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/john-harada" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">John Harada</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-11-08T15:57:40-08:00" title="Wednesday, November 8, 2017 - 3:57pm" class="datetime">November 08, 2017</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><strong>GROWING UP IN EAST LA,</strong> John Harada attended Garfield High School -- made famous in the film <em>S<a href="http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/225962/Stand-And-Deliver-Original-Trailer-.html" rel="nofollow">tand and Deliver</a>. </em> In that film, math teacher Jaime Escalante’s dedicated and unorthodox teaching approach results in his entire class passing the AP Calculus test only to be accused by the Educational Testing Service of cheating.</div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/anita-oberbauer" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/firstgen_stories_Anita_Oberbauer.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=n1OJsxQq" width="135" height="135" alt="Anita Oberbauer is Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Animal Science. Her research program has two areas of emphasis: growth and development focusing on the skeleton in driving the relationship between skeletal size and body composition; and the genetic basis for health disorders and other traits in dogs." class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/anita-oberbauer" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Anita Oberbauer</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-11-08T15:54:00-08:00" title="Wednesday, November 8, 2017 - 3:54pm" class="datetime">November 08, 2017</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>I grew up in Southern California and became involved in livestock based upon my father’s upbringing. It was that involvement that spurred my interest in schools that offered an agricultural educational program and led me to UC Davis. In my family, it was expected that my siblings and I go to college, however the path we chose was completely up to us.</p></div> </div> </div> </article> <article class="node node--type-sf-article vm-teaser"> <div class="vm-teaser__figure"> <div class="field field--name-field-sf-m-primary-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <a href="/blog/stories/jeanette-b-ruiz" hreflang="en"><img loading="lazy" src="/sites/g/files/dgvnsk3651/files/styles/sf_thumbnail/public/media/images/Ruiz%5B1%5D.jpeg?h=c673cd1c&itok=t9U1JN-S" width="135" height="135" alt="Jeanette Ruiz specializes in strategic communication with a specific interest in emerging practices and concepts in digital and social media. In addition to her appointment in the Department of Communication, she has served as a human resources and public relations consultant for various nonprofit, managed health care and finance organizations. She earned her PhD in Communication at UC Davis in 2015. Photo: Elena Zhukova for UC Office of the President" class="image-style-sf-thumbnail" /> </a> </div> </div> <div class="vm-teaser__body"> <h3 class="vm-teaser__title"><a href="/blog/stories/jeanette-b-ruiz" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">"UC Davis Opened the World To Me" - Jeanette Ruiz</span> </a></h3> <ul class="vm-teaser__byline"> <li><span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-09-08T15:33:23-07:00" title="Friday, September 8, 2017 - 3:33pm" class="datetime">September 08, 2017</time> </span> </li> </ul> <ul class="vm-teaser__categories"> <li class="bodega vm-teaser__cat-marker"><a href="/stories/faculty" hreflang="en">Stories: Faculty</a></li> </ul> <div class="vm-teaser__summary"> <div class="u-space-bottom--small clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><strong>I GREW UP </strong>in a small farming community near UC Davis. As the first-born of two immigrant farm workers from Mexico, navigating the K-12 school system was challenging, at best. There were a few teachers who were supportive but had it not been for the EOP (Educational Opportunity Program] from UC Davis, I may not have made it to college (B.A., Rhetoric and Communication, UC Davis ’97; Ph.D., Communication, UC Davis ’15).</p></div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="feed-icons"> <a href="https://firstgen.ucdavis.edu/blog/31/feed" class="feed-icon"> Subscribe to Stories: Faculty Blog Posts </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="l-sidebar-second"> <div class="region region-sidebar-second"> <div class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-blocksf-articles-category-filter-block-2 panel o-box" id="block-views-block-sf-articles-category-filter-block-2"> <h2 class="panel__title"> Categories </h2> <div><div class="view view-sf-articles-category-filter view-id-sf_articles_category_filter view-display-id-block_2 js-view-dom-id-ffc0b87e7700dfc676938b688469fbf0a8072a5cb49f4e8b276dff2a7481f224"> <div class="view-content"> 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