One World, One UC Davis

One World, One UC Davis is you — a global network of people connected to our university. It is the positive impact of our unsung heroes, imaginative research teams and innovative thinkers. What our people share in common is they are transforming lives, celebrating humanity and nature, and inspiring breakthroughs in California and beyond.

In our campaign, we tell the stories about how together, at UC Davis, we are changing our world for the better. Read about some of the School’s unsung heroes, researchers and innovators below and tell us your story.

Orlando Carreón: A Destiny to Teach

Shortly after arriving on campus for his doctoral program in education, Orlando Carreón met his advisor, Dr. Karen Watson Gegeo. What she told him would guide the next six years of his life.

“She said, ‘My job is for you to become the person that you are destined to be,’” recalled Carreón. “I felt encouraged to follow my own path, and I never looked back.”

As a teacher education fellow in the School of Education, Carreón offers a mix of advocacy, community building and linguistic skills that help UC Davis student teachers become effective classroom educators. Finish reading his story on the One UC Davis website.

Carreón is a Ph.D. candidate and teacher assistant in Chicana/o Studies and the School of Education. He co-founded the Social Justice in Education Coalition. 

BernNadette Best-Green: A Better Education Plan

Born in a generation of African American women who deferred many dreams in service to their families, BernNadette Best-Green’s mother had the academic achievements but not the financial means to attend college. Despite hardships, she raised three daughters and a son, encouraging them to earn college and graduate degrees, which they did — an MBA, M.Ed. and J.D. among them. Her mother continues to cheer BernNadette on as she pursues her Ph.D. at the UC Davis School of Education. Finish reading her story on the One UC Davis website. 

Gloria Rodriguez: Each One, Teach One

As a native Californian and daughter of farmworkers, Gloria Rodriguez held a special place in her heart for the UC system. She was always aware that UC Davis was at the forefront of agriculture and many other areas of research, but she never really dreamed she would have the opportunity to teach at the campus. Now as associate professor, she mentors students and junior faculty, particularly people of color like herself. Read her One UC Davis story here.

Rosa Manzo: Mentoring Mexican Parents and Students

 Rosa Manzo, PhD candidate, has always wanted to help Mexican Americans have access to education, but she never dreamed she’d be back in her hometown to accomplish the goal.

In Fresno County, she’s developing workshops for immigrant parents so effective that UC Davis has received a $100,000 grant from the Fresno Regional Foundation to expand the model to other county schools.

The Ph.D. student is also mentoring UC Davis students from rural Fresno high schools by encouraging them to follow in her footsteps by going to graduate school. Read her story here.

You can also find Rosa’s story among others that highlight UC Davis’s impact on California here.