Empowering Global Scholars

As one of the world’s leading public universities, UC Berkeley receives tens of thousands of applications each year from students across the United States and overseas. Nearly 7,400 international students from 140 countries enrolled at Berkeley this past fall, making up 16% of the University’s total student population.

“International students are vital to our College, as their unique insights and experiences deepen our collective understanding of global sustainability challenges,” said David Ackerly, dean of Rausser College of Natural Resources. Despite their contributions and robust campus community, international students face a unique set of hurdles—visa requirements and restrictions, limited access to financial aid, and language and cultural differences—that make it difficult to pursue a Berkeley education.

Donor-funded initiatives can play an instrumental role in creating new opportunities for such students. Through the Swift International Fellowship, Rausser College has been able to recruit and retain international students who might otherwise be less likely to attend UC Berkeley’s graduate programs.

“Pursuing a PhD at UC Berkeley has been a transformative experience for my personal growth and journey to be a proficient scientist and practitioner,” said Sheherazade, a PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, who paid her first two years of supplemental tuition with the fellowship. “This fellowship has allowed me to join a learning space where I feel seen, valued, respected, and supported.” Originally from the Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia, Sheherazade is researching the effectiveness of conservation strategies in the Wallacea region—which includes her hometown of Palu—while seeking partnerships with relevant ministries, local universities, and conservation organizations.

Enrico Calvanese, a PhD candidate in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, received fellowship funding during the third year of his studies. Born in Italy and raised in Panama, Calvanese—who has an undergraduate background in biochemistry, molecular biology, and physics—works alongside Assistant Professor Yangnan Gu to study how nuclear membrane proteins could govern plant immunity and stress responses. Their findings may enhance the stability of global food networks.

For María Villalpando Páez, an Energy and Resources Group PhD candidate from Mexico City, fellowship funding has enabled her fieldwork in southern Mexico’s High Mixtec Region. Conducted in collaboration with Mexico’s National Autonomous University Geography Institute and UNESCO’s Mixteca Alta Geopark, her research examines Mixtec peasant women’s agrifood practices and how they contribute to equitable and healthy household food systems. Her findings highlight the women’s ability to access, create, and disseminate their agricultural values and expertise. “The Fellowship was crucial to conducting long-term, in-person fieldwork—which I believe is necessary to deepen the scope and impact of critical food studies research,” she said.

To support Rausser College’s goal of cultivating a generation of leaders equipped to foster sustainability on an international scale, contact Andrew Judd at judd@berkeley.edu or visit our giving page.