Editor's note: This story is republished from the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of UC Merced Magazine.
Dr. Garima Handa's journey from an undergraduate at UC Merced to a physician specializing in interventional cardiology at Dignity Health in the Central Valley was a full circle one.
Michael Pierick’s road to presenting as part of the UC Merced delegation at this week’s UC Board of Regents meeting started in 2012, with a pit stop on the way to a basketball tryout at Sonoma State.
Both of Pierick’s parents attended UCLA and encouraged him to check out the newest UC campus while driving to Sonoma from San Diego, where Pierick was finishing his senior year at Rancho Bernardo High School.
“When I got to campus, it was just this close-knit community,” Pierick said. “I could really be the person I wanted to be.”
When the University of California chose Merced as the site for its 10th campus, the dream was to make a difference in the heart of California. As the campus matures and gains national exposure through rankings and the Merced 2020 Project, its impact is undeniable.
