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California magazine explores the vibrant community of UC Berkeley and its impact on the global stage. Since its inception in 1895, the magazine has provided readers with engaging insights and stories about one of the leading universities in the world, all delivered with flair and clarity.

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Articles

Berkeley’s Music Boom

3 weeks ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Emma Silvers

Amber Cheng never expected music to be part of her adult life. Growing up in Taiwan, she had enjoyed childhood violin lessons, but when she applied to universities to study architecture, she assumed her instrument would fall by the wayside. “I thought, OK, maybe my violin career will end here,” says Cheng.
The Wilderness of It All: 5 Questions for Enrique Martínez Celaya, M.S. ’88

1 month ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Emily Wilson

You left Cuba when you were seven. Did that have a big influence on your life and your art? I’m going to give you two contradictory answers. On the one hand, of course. It was a sense of dislocation, and we went through, as many immigrants do, a lot of challenges in Spain and then Puerto Rico, and school fights and all that. In some ways, you always feel like an outsider as an exile. It gives you that position of being an outsider looking in at things. So yes, it changed me and affected me.
The Secretive and High-Stakes Politics of Electing the Next Pope

1 month ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Leah Worthington

On April 20, 2025, Catholics around the world gathered to celebrate Easter, the holiest day of the year. The following morning, Pope Francis died at age 88, ending a dozen years at the helm of the Catholic Church. Who will succeed Francis is the source of much debate and speculation—only to be determined during the upcoming papal conclave. Papal elections procedures have evolved over nearly two millennia, with some of the earliest evidence dating back to the early medieval period.
Feeling the Dance

1 month ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Leah Worthington

It’s 45 minutes until showtime at Zellerbach Hall. Half a dozen people crowd into a small corner backstage alongside a rack overflowing with lacy yellow garments, enormous sun hats, and fabric-adorned sticks as dancers rush past in various states of dress. One performer sits in the wings, carefully coating his feet in makeup; another, fully costumed, pauses to smile and address the visitors.
Paul Bryzek: ‘Without Impact, a Business isn’t Sustainable’

2 months ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Rebekah Moan |Jamie Geluz

Presented byPaul Bryzek worked in technology consulting for seven years before returning to UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business to pursue an MBA. “I was looking for a change out of corporate America consulting,” he said. “I wanted to work at the intersection of financial success and impact to create personal fulfillment.
What If We Stopped Shopping?

2 months ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Leah Worthington

In late February, a man named John Schwarz took to social media to issue a rallying cry. “The system has been designed to exploit us,” the self-described mindfulness and meditation facilitator said in a video to his thousands of followers. “On February 28, we are going to remind them who really holds the power. For one day, we turn it off.”The video, which was shared nearly 700,000 times on Instagram, called for a 24-hour nationwide consumer boycott of major retailers.
Data Is Fueling the AI Revolution. What Happens When It Runs Out?

2 months ago | alumni.berkeley.edu | Coby McDonald |Aaron Mok

AI seems to have infinite capabilities. Just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT to write a cover letter or plan a travel itinerary, and it will spit out a comprehensive response in mere seconds. Heck, it can even pass the bar exam. Underlying these impressive capabilities are advanced machine learning models trained on massive troves of data.
Q&A: Is Berkeley Next?

Jan 23, 2025 | alumni.berkeley.edu | Margie Cullen |Jesse Klein

As LA continues to burn and a blanket of smoke, ash and toxins covers Southern California, an atmosphere of dread hangs in the air over Berkeley and the fire-prone East Bay. Are we next? The lush landscape of forests with homes nestled into the Berkeley hills is beautiful to behold for many aspiring homeowners. But for Michael Gollner, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, it’s terrifying. Gollner studies the mechanics of fire: how it ignites, grows, behaves and dies.
Please Allow Him to Introduce Himself

Dec 10, 2024 | alumni.berkeley.edu | Nathalia Alcantara |Pat Joseph

Look, there he is, the new chancellor, introducing himself to freshmen on Sproul Plaza. “Hi, I’m Rich. I’m new here myself.” Well, not exactly true. He’s certainly in a new role, but with the exception of grad school at MIT (Ph.D. in economics), a six-year stint on faculty at Columbia, and two years at Goldman Sachs, Chancellor Rich Lyons ’82 has been at Berkeley since he was an undergrad himself, making him the first leader of the university since Robert Gordon Sproul to call Cal alma mater.
As It Happened - Cal Alumni Association

Dec 10, 2024 | alumni.berkeley.edu | Nathalia Alcantara |Pat Joseph

Sixty years ago, in the fall of 1964, the staff of this magazine—then called California Monthly—had the foresight to drop everything to cover a student uprising that was then roiling campus. The Free Speech Movement scarcely had a name, but the Monthly was on the job. Assistant Editor Don Kechely ’55 shot photographs, many of which are still among the most iconic and familiar images from that time.