Public Fellowships

THI creates opportunities for Humanities students to contribute to research, programming, communications, and other activities at non-profit organizations, companies, and cultural institutions.

Through these fellowships, students foster meaningful relationships between the campus and the broader community, recognize the breadth of their expertise, and learn how the skills they have developed in their university programs can be employed in different positions. For students interested in exploring non-academic career paths, this kind of experience is essential. Fellows develop an understanding of how their knowledge might be deployed for historical work, curatorial projects, or policy-driven pursuits and develop experience that can lead to meaningful and long-lasting careers.

The students and the organizations they work with reflect the diversity of UCSC Humanities scholarship and the deep commitment of our students to connect their academic pursuits with the public. Past fellows have worked around the world, employing their skills and knowledge at organizations including The Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities in Oslo, Norway, the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, the Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) in San Jose, and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.

Current opportunities:

Graduate Public Fellowships Graduate Public Fellowships provide an opportunity for Humanities doctoral students to apply and expand their skills in a non-academic setting while engaged in graduate study. Some fellowships allow students to find their own partner organizations while others set students up to pursue opportunities with an established THI partner organization.

Learn more in the calls for applications:

Undergraduate EXCEL Fellowships 

The Humanities Experiential Career Exploration and Learning (EXCEL) Program, housed under the umbrella of the Humanities Division’s Employing Humanities initiative, connects undergraduate Humanities majors and minors to organizations in the community for paid internships. In this cohort program, EXCEL Fellows gain practical experience and professional training while learning about positions outside of the university that build on their studies in the humanities. At the same time, community partner organizations benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise. EXCEL fellowships demonstrate the value of a Humanities degree for a range of careers.

Learn more in the calls for applications:

EXCEL Fellowship with Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Community Engagement – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Education Outreach Coordinator – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Housing Santa Cruz County, Advocacy and Communications – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Leadership Santa Cruz County, New Leadership Fellow – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with San Lorenzo Valley Historical Society, Cataloguing Fellow – 2025

EXCEL Fellowship with San Lorenzo Valley Historical Society, Interpretations Fellow – 2025

EXCEL Fellowship with The Sikh Foundation – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with United Way of Santa Cruz County, Marketing and Development Intern — 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with United Way of Santa Cruz County, Community Impact Intern — 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Community Foundation Santa Cruz County – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with The Sikh Foundation – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, Public Environmental Humanities Intern – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Santa Cruz Public Libraries – Researching Short Stories for Jail Reach, People & Stories Fellow – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with KSQD Community Radio, Reporter/Producer – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with WILDR, Development Intern – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Your Future Is Our Business, Program Coordinator – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Housing Santa Cruz County, Advocacy and Communications – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with the MAH, Assistant Education Coordinator – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with the MAH, Assistant Archives & Programs Coordinator – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Santa Cruz County’s Youth Poet Laureate Program, Program Assistant – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Lookout Santa Cruz, Community Engagement – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Lookout Santa Cruz, Editorial – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, Marketing & Development – 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with The Hive Poetry Collective, Communications & Events 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Black Surf Santa Cruz, Social Media and Community Engagement, 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Boys & Girls Club Santa Cruz County, Resource Development Coordinator, 2024-2025

EXCEL Fellowship with Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Storytelling Fellow 2024-2025

The Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, The Humanities Institute, and the UCSC Humanities Division generously support the Humanities EXCEL Program. The annual fellowship with The American Prospect is possible thanks to the generosity of Michael Stern, TAP Board Member and UC Santa Cruz volunteer.


Questions? Please contact Saskia Nauenberg Dunkell, Research Programs and Communications Director, THI at saskia@ucsc.edu.

News and Videos:

Making Headlines: UCSC Humanities Students Work with the Pulitzer Prize-winning Team at Lookout Santa Cruz – Lookout 2024

Inspiring Futures: Humanities Public Fellow Makes a Difference with the Community Foundation – Community Foundation 2024

Undergraduate Public Fellows Program connects Humanities studies with real-world impact – 2024 undergraduate cohort announcement

Humanities in Action: THI Graduate Public Fellows Champion the Relevance of Humanities PhDs in a Changing World – 2023 Graduate Public Fellows video

THI Undergraduate Public Fellows Rebecca Snyder and Sara Sotelo shine at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History – 2023 MAH

Humanizing the metaverse – 2022 Reality Labs at Meta

Social Justice in action at UC Santa Cruz – Prison Journalism Project (PJP) – 2023 PJP video

Paid Fellowship Opens Doors And Opportunities For Humanities Students – 2022 The American Prospect

 

A Selection of Graduate Public Fellow Profiles (more here):

Wesley Viebahn, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (Literature)

Katie O’Hare, Santa Cruz Shakespeare (Literature)

Mia Tempestt Boykin, TC/ENBY (Literature)

Aaron Aruck, GLBT Historical Society (History)

Sienna Ballou, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music (Literature)

Daniel Butler, UCSF Infant-Parent Program (History of Consciousness)

David Duncan, Sausalito Marin City School District (History)

Ben Eischens, Pacific Collegiate School (Linguistics)

Jess Fournier, Critical Resistance (Feminist Studies)

Morgan Gates, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (Literature)

Kaiya Gordon, GLBT Historical Society (Feminist Studies)

Kendall Grady, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music (Literature)

Andrew Hedding, Senderos (Linguistics)

Trey Highton, Save the Waves Coalition (Literature)

Noya Kansky, Heart Mountain Interpretive Center (Feminist Studies)

Amani Liggett, Santa Cruz Shakespeare (Literature)

Kelsey McFaul, Center for the Art of Translation (Literature)

Thaïs Miller, Jewish Film Institute (Literature)

Gabriel Mindel, Indexical (History of Consciousness)

Anny Mogollón, California Domestic Workers Coalition (Literature)

Melody Nixon, The Humanities Institute (History of Consciousness)

Nathan Osorio, UC Press (Literature)

Em Padilla, Transgender Law Center (Feminist Studies)

Radhika Prasad, Center for the Art of Translation (Literature)

Gabriela Ramirez-Chavez, UC Press (Literature)

Kelsey Sasaki, Senderos (Linguistics)

Meleia Simon-Reynolds, Watsonville is in the Heart (History)

Eric Sneathen, GLBT Historical Society (Literature)

Emily Travis, Prison Journalism Project (Literature)

Vivian Underhill, Northern Alaska Environmental Center (Feminist Studies)

Jonathan Van Harmelen, Densho (History)

Kirstin Wagner, Catamaran Literary Reader (Literature)

Wyatt Young, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (History)

 

Undergraduate Public Fellow Profiles and Stories:

Tommy Balmat, The American Prospect

Maddison Hwang, Open Campus

Elina Juvonen, Okinawa Memories Initiative

Lo Klauer and Theresa Bostic, Santa Cruz Community Foundation

Atlas Martinez and Maxinne Virtue-Hill, Prison Journalism Project (PJP)

Mikayla Falk and Yatziri Arias Torres, Senderos

Mary “Miki” Arlen and Diana Leon Garcia, Davenport Jail Museum/MAH

Summer 2024

Summer 2023

 

Yearlong 2022 – 2023

 

Summer 2022

 

Yearlong 2021-2022

 

Summer 2021

 

Yearlong 2020-2021

 

Summer 2020

 

Yearlong 2019-2020

 

Summer 2019

 

Yearlong 2018-2019

 

Summer 2018

  • Aaron Aruk (History), Badge List
  • Ben Eischens (Linguistics), Pacific Collegiate School
  • Kiran Garcha (History), Cal Humanities
  • Lani Hanna (Feminist Studies), Freedom Archives
  • Lisa Hofmann (Linguistics), Hand in Hand
  • Erin Mariel McElroy (Feminist Studies), Frontul Comun pentru Dreptul la Locuire
  • Maho Morimoto (Linguistics), Senderos
  • Stephanie Luna Padilla (Literature), Border Angels
  • Lisbet Gabriela Ramirez-Chavez (Literature), UC Press
  • Eric Sneathen (Literature), GLBT Historical Society

 

Summer 2017

  • Danielle Crawford (Literature Department), Planning and Conservation League (Sacramento)
  • Andrew Hedding (Linguistics), Senderos
  • Ryan King (Feminist Studies), Digital Nest
  • Amani Liggett (Literature Department), Santa Cruz Shakespeare
  • Priscilla Martinez (History),  Tucson Chinese Cultural Center
  • Jason Ostrove (Linguistics), Barra Heritage Centre (Scotland)
  • Delio Vasquez (History of Consciousness), Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
  • Kirstin Wagner (Literature), Catamaran Literary Reader

 

Summer 2016

  • David Donley (Philosophy), Santa Cruz County Jail
  • Kara Hisatake (Literature), Japanese American Museum of San Jose
  • Sarah Papazoglakis (Literature), California Humanities
  • Katie Trostel (Literature), The Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities in Oslo
  • Vivian Underhill (Feminist Studies), Northern Alaska Environmental Center
  • Claire Urbanski (Feminist Studies), Arizona State Museum
  • Taylor Wondergem (Feminist Studies), Cabrillo College

2023-24

2022-23

 

2021-22

 

2020-2021

  • Yatziri Arias Torres (Politics/Latin American and Latino Studies) – Senderos
  • Mikayla Falk (Literature) – Senderos

 

2019-2020

  • Mary “Miki” Arlen (Literature/Anthropology) – Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
  • Diana Leon Garcia (History/History of Art and Visual Culture) – Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
To top