Division of Equity and Inclusion, UC Berkeley

06/18/2026

“Be comfortable being uncomfortable.” 💛

For many students, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) becomes more than a resource. It becomes a community of mentorship, support, and belonging.

In this feature, UC Berkeley students share how EOP helped them navigate academics, build confidence, find community, and thrive through mentorship, study jams, counseling, and connection.

From first-semester uncertainty to leadership and lifelong friendships, EOP continues to support students in shaping their Berkeley journey.

🔗 Read more about EOP:

Learn about the benefits of the Educational Opportunity Program at UC Berkeley through testimonies from student employees.

06/11/2026

“Finding your comunidad and a sense of belonging is a vital tool for long-term staff success and mentorship.” ✨

This month’s Thriving Community Snapshot highlights Alianza, one of UC Berkeley’s longest-standing affinity-based staff organizations dedicated to building community, advocacy, professional development, and belonging for Chicanx/Latinx staff.

Image 1: Alianza Steering Committee at the Chancellor’s Staff Organization Leadership Reception in 2025.
Image 2: 2026 Alianza Steering Committee at the Alianza Staff Awards.
Image 3: 2026 Alianza Exceptional Staff Award Recipients.

🔗 Read more about Alianza’s impact, community, and vision for the future: https://thriving.berkeley.edu/news/thriving-community-snapshot-alianza

06/04/2026

Applications are now open for the 2026-27 Berkeley Bridging Fellowship Program! 📣

The Berkeley Bridging Fellowship (BBF) is a year-long community and learning space for UC Berkeley undergrads focused on dialogue, relationship-building, and meaningful conversations around Israel & Palestine.

✨ Earn 2 UC Berkeley academic credits each semester
✨ Learn from leading scholars and facilitators
✨ Build skills for engaging across difference
✨ Connect with a cohort of ~25 fellow students

🗓 Priority deadline: Mon. 6/8
🗓 Final deadline: Mon. 6/15

One student described the fellowship as:
“I absolutely loved the BBF and felt like I found a community.”

🔗 Apply here: ei.berkeley.edu/bbf

06/02/2026

🏳️‍🌈✨ Pride Month is here!

Pride is a celebration of q***r and trans identities, histories, cultures, and communities. It is about the promotion of social justice movements and civil rights victories. At a time when LGBTQ+ people are experiencing a challenging national climate shaped by ongoing public debate, legislative and legal battles, and concerns about discrimination and safety, Pride Month remains both a celebration of community and a reaffirmation of dignity, visibility, and equal treatment for all people.

Explore events, resources, and ways to get involved, including:
• 6/19-6/26: Frameline50 at Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive
• 6/28: San Francisco Pride Parade San Francisco Pride
• 8/16: Oakland Pride
• 8/30: Berkeley Pride

🔗 Explore UC Berkeley campus resources and communities, including the Gender Equity (GenEq) Resource Center, the Q***r Alliance Resource Center, LavenderCal, the QTBIPOC Staff & Faculty Listserv, and more: https://bit.ly/43MkyCh

📸: Brittany Hosea-Small

05/28/2026

Join us for the 2026 Equity in Action Summit ✨

This year’s theme, "Thriving as a Collective Practice, Freedom as an Organizing Principle," invites Berkeley employees to explore equity, belonging, wellness, and collective thriving through community dialogue, panels, workshops, and connection.

📅 Date: Mon. 6/15
🕣 Time: 8:30am-6pm
📍 Location: Pauley Ballroom

🔗 Register via the Equity in Action Event Registration Form: https://bit.ly/4ueaDAZ

We welcome all UC Berkeley employees engaged in equity and inclusion efforts, whether through formal roles, committee work, or personal commitment.

05/26/2026

"For the university to be a safe, welcoming space for Native Americans, it needs to better understand its history and its responsibilities. NATI does a great job making the university recognize that it's not just that we need spaces for Native students, but that we need to know there is a visible, public pathway for change."
- Martina Mapatis (Mojave, Hualapai, and Yavapai), 5th year student at UC Berkeley

The Native American Thriving Initiatives (NATI) are helping reimagine UC Berkeley’s responsibilities to Native communities through relationship-building, institutional transformation, and support for Native students, faculty, and staff.

From strengthening partnerships with Ohlone communities to expanding Native-centered programs and visibility on campus, this work reflects an ongoing commitment to building a more just and accountable future.

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4uPUGB2

05/24/2026

LTI Undergraduate Convivencia Recap ✨📸

On Wed. 4/8, the Latinx Thriving Initiatives community came together for the LTI Undergraduate Convivencia to connect, build comunidad, and reflect on what it means to thrive at .

The gathering created space for staff, faculty, and students to share meaningful dialogue, exchange shared experiences, and connection rooted in belonging, care, and collective growth. Thank you to everyone who joined and contributed to this space. 💛

05/22/2026

📢 Berkeley undergrads, we want to hear from you!

The 2026 UC Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) helps UC Berkeley better understand student experiences and improve support, resources, and campus life.

Your feedback matters and completing the survey enters you into drawings for gift cards up to $100.

🔗 Take the survey by Tues. 6/30: UCUES.berkeley.edu

05/21/2026

✨ Staff Spotlight: Omoye Akhile (she/her) ✨

Meet Omoye Akhile, Senior Financial Analyst for the Division of Equity & Inclusion at UC Berkeley. Omoye supports the financial planning and strategic budgeting that help sustain impactful programs across the division.

💚 A perfect workday for Omoye includes productive collaboration, mission-aligned problem solving, and of course, green tea in her favorite pink handmade mug.

🔗 Read more about Omoye: https://bit.ly/3PvEUMC

05/12/2026

A Journey through Script and Ink: Arabic-Persian Calligraphy Workshop Recap ✨

In April, the UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies welcomed artist Arash Shirinbab for an interactive journey through Arabic-Persian calligraphy and art, including:
• A presentation exploring the history, heritage, and spiritual traditions of Arabic and Persian scripts
• A live “performance” of calligraphy on a large canvas with mediative repetition of words of wisdom and verses from Rumi, one of the most prominent Persian Sufi and poets
• Hands-on opportunities for attendees to experience traditional calligraphy tools and receive personalized keepsakes

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this meaningful afternoon of creativity and reflection 🖊️

📸 Photo Credit: Reagan Calaguas