Promise Fellowship Program Awardees

Our Promise Fellowship Program awardees are supported by the Graduate Division, departmental collaboration, and through private donations. The Program has provided financial support for Promise Scholars for both master’s and doctoral programs at UC Santa Barbara.

Zackary Glazewski
Incoming MS Student, Computer Science

This fellowship will no doubt allow me to prioritize my research without the burden of making ends meet and avoiding debt. As a recipient of the promise scholarship during my undergrad, I can’t help but think of how both of these awards have changed and will change my life trajectory in allowing me to pursue these different levels of higher education. I come from a low-income background, so my first thought when making a decision to continue education is whether or not it is financially feasible. This fellowship gives me the time, security, and confidence I need to achieve success in my academic endeavors.

Esmeralda Morales
Incoming MA Student, Education

I feel honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Promise Fellowship. This award is of great significance to me as a Promise Scholars Scholarship recipient during my time as an undergraduate student. The Promise Scholars Program provides four years of funding for high-achieving, low-income, first-generation college students. As an incoming freshman, the transition was challenging due to cultural shock and limited knowledge of resources. The program's acknowledgment of personal and financial struggles helped me direct most of my attention to my education, without having to worry about my ability to pay tuition, housing, and other expenses. Furthermore, the engagement with peers from similar ethnic, educational, and financial backgrounds promoted a sense of inclusivity and acceptance. It is very heart-warming to see that the program (and the amazing Holly Roose) really care about helping students succeed in academia and within their chosen career field. I understand that access to resources like the ones I experienced can ease the transition of rural Latinx students attending suburb and/or urban-based institutions.

Gina Milan
Incoming Teacher Education Program Student

Growing up in a low-income, first-generation family, I had the honor and the privilege of receiving the UCSB Promise Scholarship to pay for my undergraduate degree. Receiving the Promise Scholarship six years ago meant absolutely everything to me. It meant an opportunity to rewrite my family’s narrative that claimed attending college was “too out of reach” to instead, “you can achieve your aspirations after all”! I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from college, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to have soaked up every moment in college without an immense financial burden to carry. As I considered graduate school, my horizons grew vast as the UCSB Promise Fellowship was introduced for previous Promise Scholars as an opportunity to earn a graduate degree at UCSB, free of debt too! Just then, I knew if I could be blessed with the Promise Fellowship, it would radically solidify my opportunity to get my Master’s of Education and therefore allow me to serve the world in the best way I know––as a teacher!

Joshua Hopkins
Incoming MTM Student, Technology Management Program

Though my daughter tells me I’m the best dad in the world (a bit biased, but I'm honored), receiving the Promise Fellowship made me feel as if I were being recognized at the highest level. I was also relieved to know that I could focus on my studies without the constant worry of financial survival. This award made me feel truly special, cared for, recognized, and appreciated. It’s a feeling of warmth and gratitude that I will always carry with me. Most importantly, it sparked a desire in me to someday give back and help others in the same way. The idea of paying it forward is incredibly motivating.

Sia Gil
Incoming MS Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Lesley Figueroa
Incoming PhD Student, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management

I am looking forward to conducting my own research project. I have never done this, so having the opportunity to research my own marine science interests excites me. I know being in a PhD program has its challenges and obstacles, but I am excited to confront and learn from them. I hope the information I gather can be useful for further marine conservation strategies across the world, especially as climate change rapidly advances. I am looking forward to becoming a well-trained marine ecologist, guided by the various intellectual faculty at UCSB. There are many prestigious scientists at the university that are going to be amazing to work with and learn from, such as Dr. Steve Gaines, Dr. Jenn Caselle, and Dr. Douglas McCauley. Additionally, I am thrilled to meet new people, especially those who share the same research interests as me. Together we can learn from each other and support one another as we progress through our degree.

Rosemary Juarez
Incoming Graduate Student, Bren School Master of Environmental Data Science Program

I look forward to connecting and interacting with industry leaders and collaborating with my cohort at the Bren School. I believe that obtaining my masters degree in environmental data science will allow me to pursue greater opportunities that not only broadens my knowledge, but allows me to accomplish and provide technical support in the environmental field. My time at UCSB as an undergrad has helped me realize my interest in problem-solving issues in the environmental field, and I hope to further those goals by actively participating in the MEDS program curriculum. While the program will be challenging, I realize that I want to not only continue learning about data science, but also work to become a data analyst. I am delighted at the thought of being in the environmental data science field, and I cannot wait to learn what graduate school has to offer.

Anthony A. Botros
Candidate for B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Incoming Graduate Student, Materials Master's Degree Program

I am most looking forward to being able to work with the faculty at a higher level and doing more specialized research in the materials department. I have the opportunity to work with some of the best materials researchers in the world and get to develop my skills. I have some of the most brilliant minds surrounding me where I can bounce ideas and learn more from them.

Erik Magaña
Incoming Graduate Student, Teacher Education Program

I look forward to building strong community and teacher relationships. The Teacher Education Program is a cohort-based program, meaning that the people in the same program, such as the Single Subject Credential, take similar classes, collaborate together throughout the year, and learn from each other’s experiences. I also hope to provide community translation and interpretation at the K-12 level whenever possible, as I know that is a major need for families that mainly speak Spanish.

Elena Barragan MEd `23 (Teacher Education Program, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education)
2022-23 Seros Promise Fellow

Elena Barragan (she/her) is a first-generation Latina student who earned her M.Ed along with her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at UC Santa Barbara. Elena attended Santa Barbara City College where she transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Promise Scholar while she earned her B.A. in Sociology along with a minor in Educational Studies and graduated in June of 2022, while being the first person on both sides of her family to achieve a Bachelor's Degree. Having the academic potential to thrive but not the funding to keep pursuing through her education was challenging, but it’s what opened the door for her to remain a Promise Scholar and become the first ever UCSB student to achieve a fully funded Promise Scholars Fellowship to cover the entire cost of her undergraduate and graduate studies. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, since June of 2016, Elena has worked for the United Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County at the Old Town Goleta location as a Youth Development Professional, where she continues to mentor to make a change in the lives of the youth on a daily basis, as she sees herself giving back to not only the community, but to herself while advocating as a role model she desperately needed when she was their age. Elena hopes to positively impact the education system by giving back to a community that means so much to her right here in Santa Barbara County through an Abolitionist Teaching Pedagogy while advocating for a change for those who have been historically underserved in the education system. She is is currently applying to work in school districts in Orange County and Riverside.

Michael Zargari MEDS `22 (Bren School of Environmental Science & Management)
2022-23 Putnam Promise Fellow

Michael Zargari earned his Masters of Environmental Data Science from the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management in 2022. Prior to earning his graduate degree, he earned his B.S. in Statistics and Data Science, B.A. in Economics, and minors in Iranian Studies and Translation Studies at UC Santa Barbara. He started his academic career in 2018 as a Judith Stapelmann Scholar and was awarded the Jeremy D. Friedman Memorial Award upon his graduation for his outstanding leadership and superior scholarship during his undergraduate years. Coming from a unique background, Michael has a wide range of experience completing internships at globally recognized companies, AIG and Lyft, and participating in research at UCSB where he has completed work as a data analyst, data scientist, statistical researcher, underwriter, and actuary. This exposure to a wide variety of positions made Michael passionate in using his skills and knowledge to create positive change in the world. During his time working at AIG, he researched and presented a detailed report to the West Coast Underwriting Team offering suggestions in combating climate change. Michael’s goal is to continue these efforts to influence climate policy at the corporate, national, and state levels. He now works at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina.