Kenneth Mashinchi

Graduating senior Araceli Perez was looking for a new environment when she moved from Hacienda Heights to attend UC Merced in 2015.

The shift from the high-intensity region of Los Angeles to the more relaxed atmosphere of Merced was more than a change of pace. In her four years at UC Merced, she always welcomed the chance to experience something new — whether that was cheerleading or back-packing for an archaeological project in the Sierra Nevada.

Undergraduates Victoria Arias and Cydney Caradonna entered UC Merced through different doors.

Arias was a freshman impressed with the campus and community. Caradonna was a transfer student and athlete sold on UC Merced’s championship women’s basketball team.

Technological advancements and a shift to interdisciplinary research have changed the way researchers can look at the past to help inform the future.

Find out how UC Merced is helping to lead the way: http://uc-merced.instantmagazine.com/public-relations/the-future-of-heritage-and-cultures/uc-merced/.