Santa Clara University

10/16/2026

When life feels overwhelming, it's easy to wonder whether making art, writing, or creating really matters.

Kai Harris, a creative writing professor and author, believes it matters more than ever.

In a thoughtful reflection, she shares why creativity can help us process emotions, speak our truth, and find hope during uncertain times. She also offers a simple exercise to help anyone reconnect with their creative voice.

Read Professor Harris’s full reflection on why creativity is our greatest tool for resilience: https://go.scu.edu/4s4RCkq

10/15/2026

Día de los Mu***os honors loved ones who have died. Ana Maria Pineda, associate professor of religious studies, explains how this Friday, October 16, at Santa Clara University.

Her talk, “Day of the Dead & the Power of Memory,” opens four educational sessions before Camino de los Mu***os on Nov. 1. The series runs through Oct. 27 and includes sugar skull making on Oct. 23.

“Camino de los Mu***os has become a cherished opportunity to welcome people from across the region to campus,” says Ray Plaza, senior director of the Office for Campus Climate and Belonging, which is hosting the series.

Fri., Oct. 16, 3-5 p.m. | Day of the Dead & the Power of Memory, Nobili Dining Room

Tues., Oct. 20, 3-4:30 p.m. | Día de los Mu***os Traditions and its Connections with Other Global/Spiritual Traditions, Nobili Dining Room

Fri., Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Sugar Skull Making, Shapell Lounge

Tues., Oct. 27, 3-4:30 p.m. | Reclaiming the Sacred: Place, Memory, and Resistance in Altar Making, Nobili Dining Room

Sun., Nov. 1, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. | Camino de los Mu***os

See link in comments for more details.

10/14/2026

Jessica Yuan ’21 MBA once worked in procurement for a to***co company. Today, she oversees budgeting and global manufacturing strategy at Gilead Sciences, a biotech developing therapies for HIV, liver diseases, and cancer.

Her path to Santa Clara University began in Shanghai. Yuan followed her husband to the U.S. for his Ph.D., retrained as a CPA, and raised three children across four states. When she wanted work that matched her values, the Leavey School of Business made an MBA possible. The program kept her close to family in the Bay Area, accepted her CPA credits in place of the TOEFL and GMAT, and came with a scholarship.

An internship at Varian Medical Systems followed. Then came a spot in Gilead’s financial leadership development program, found through Santa Clara’s internal job board.

“Santa Clara was the starting point for me to flip from a cancer-causing industry to a cancer-curing industry,” Yuan says. Though she is not Catholic, she says the Jesuit emphasis on purpose, service, and the greater good influenced her move into healthcare.

10/12/2026

Santa Clara University began Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a Sacred Dawn Circle in front of the Mission Church, hosted in partnership with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. Ceremonial prayers, dances and songs surrounded the 7:12 a.m. sunrise.

Today’s programming also includes a symposium from 1 to 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. Details are in the first comment.

10/12/2026

This summer, four students from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, for a monthlong academic immersion alongside peers from Jesuit theology centers around the world.

Part of the Collaborative Theology Initiative (CTI), the program was hosted at Hekima University College and explored the history and charisms of the first Jesuits through lectures, pastoral ministry experiences, and opportunities to build lasting cross-cultural friendships. The experience deepened students’ understanding of Jesuit identity and the value of learning from diverse perspectives to better serve the Church and communities worldwide.

Officially launched in 2025 and endorsed by Superior General Arturo Sosa, S.J., CTI brings together Jesuit theologates across the globe to foster collaboration in theological education. Dean Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, S.J., serves as CTI’s inaugural chair, advancing a vision for theological education rooted in collaboration, inclusion, and service.

“The CTI seeks to facilitate pathways for unique learning and formation experiences that are contextual, transformative, and purposeful for our students, faculty, and staff across our global network of Jesuit theologates,” says Orobator.

Read more: https://go.scu.edu/3VrbRg6

For four students at the Jesuit School of Theology (JST-SCU), it was truly the trip of a lifetime: a chance to look at their role at the leading Jesuit theologate both with a historical lens and with an eye for the Catholic Church of today. Last summer, the JST-SCU delegation joined groups from Jesu...

10/11/2026

For Kim Oatman Bohne ’97, becoming the first official hire for the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, a collaboration between Sutter Health and Santa Clara University, is more than a new role. It’s a homecoming.

A Santa Clara alumna, Bohne now serves as the inaugural strategic programs manager for the new medical school, helping move the vision from planning to reality as the school works toward opening its doors to future doctors.

The Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine is the first new medical school in the San Francisco Bay Area in more than a century. In her role, Bohne is helping guide the school through its joint partnership, the accreditation process, and the search for its founding dean.

🔗 Check out the comments for a link to learn more.

10/10/2026

From running the pitch to tackling complex systems, Briar Blake ’18, M.S. ’20 is turning her passion for bioengineering into progress that can save lives.

As a student at Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering, Briar gained hands-on experience in the BioInnovation and Design Lab, working on real-world projects alongside her mentor, Professor Prashanth Asuri. Today, she’s a principal systems engineer at Roche, integrating hardware and software on advanced DNA sequencing instruments at Roche, helping turn complex technology systems into faster, more affordable, and potentially life-saving diagnostic tools.

Santa Clara Women's Soccer made Briar a Bronco, but the community she built with teammates, coaches, faculty mentors, and alumni helped shape her path. A chance encounter with an alum even helped open the door to her current role.

Progress needs community. And it needs people like Briar, using their skills to make a difference.

| Santa Clara University's School of Engineering

10/09/2026

All smiles because it's Grand Reunion. ❤️

📅 Check out the full schedule to stay in the loop: https://go.scu.edu/4e3T6FN
--
Check-in Times
📅 Thursday, Oct. 8 | ⏰ 2–4 p.m. | 📍Bannan Alumni House
📅 Friday, Oct. 9 | ⏰ 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | 📍Bannan Alumni House
📅 Saturday, Oct. 10 | ⏰ 9 a.m.–5 p.m. | 📍Bannan Alumni House

Coming back to campus this weekend? Say hi to your classmates in the comments! 👋

Santa Clara University Alumni Association

10/08/2026

At the heart of mechanical engineering professor Hannah Yang’s research is understanding how humans, AI, and robots can communicate and make decisions together in manufacturing environments like factories and warehouses.

Her goal is to create better collaboration between people and AI systems.

That same spirit of collaboration shapes Yang’s classroom. As a teacher-scholar, she describes her relationship with students as a two-way exchange. Santa Clara’s 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio allows her to guide students as they develop as researchers and engineers, while their curiosity and perspectives help shape the direction of her own research.

“One thing I especially enjoy about working with students at Santa Clara University is that they take ownership of the research and turn their ideas into very good physical systems,” Yang says. “They’re passionate about getting hands-on experience so they can successfully build these systems themselves.”

Learn more about how Yang explores ways to maximize AI’s positive impact on manufacturing and how she guides her students through their own research questions:
https://go.scu.edu/4dmVyqE

| Santa Clara University's School of Engineering

10/06/2026

Hari Mix measured his own energy burn on mountain expeditions. Today, the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks use his company’s testing to build personalized energy budgets for players.

Mix, a former Santa Clara University environmental studies and sciences professor and geochemist, built a stable isotope lab on campus. His company, Calorify, turned that expertise into at-home kits. The testing also supports clinical trials for obesity and diabetes medicines.

Bronco Ventures invested in Calorify’s second round of funding and invited Mix to join the Bronco Ventures Accelerator at SCU Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The program named him its 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Medical startups have been the accelerator’s largest vertical, and the program is part of the same ecosystem as the planned Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, a collaboration between Health and Santa Clara University.

Accelerator founders pitch at Demo Day during Grand Reunion, in front of hundreds of investors, many of the Santa Clara alumni.