UCSC Humanities Receives $2 million Grant to Drive Student Career Success

UC Santa Cruz is expanding opportunities for humanities students to gain hands-on career experience, following a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation awarded to its Employing Humanities initiative. Launched in 2023, the program has already connected hundreds of undergraduates with practical roles such as editorial work, digital marketing, archiving, and resource development—offering experience that complements their academic studies.

With this new funding, the Humanities Division aims to ensure that every humanities major has access to at least one experiential learning opportunity before graduating. The initiative is designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and professional pathways, emphasizing skills like critical thinking, communication, and ethical decision-making.

Over the next three years, Employing Humanities will expand its existing programs, Humanities EXCEL and Humanities EXPLORE, while introducing new options to reach a broader range of students. One addition is Summer Humanities EXCEL, which will place students in paid, project-based internships with nonprofit organizations and public agencies across California. By offering positions in students’ home communities—beginning with Los Angeles County, where a significant portion of UC Santa Cruz humanities students are from—the program aims to reduce financial and geographic barriers that can limit participation.

Santa Cruz Works partners with UCSC Humanities EXCEL program, currently hosting intern Alex Lund as a Business and Communications intern for the 2025-2026.

Another new initiative, HumLaunch, will provide early-career students with short-term job shadowing and virtual project opportunities through a network of alumni mentors. Beginning in summer 2026, participants will also receive scholarships and structured mentorship, with experiences ranging from a few days to several weeks.

The funding will also support the integration of career-focused learning into the curriculum, including capstone courses and service-learning options that connect academic work with community engagement.

Together, these efforts reflect a broader push across UCSC to ensure humanities students graduate not only with strong analytical and ethical foundations, but also with practical experience and professional connections that support long-term career development.

UCSC Humanities is currently looking for new partners for their various programs. Interested parties can learn more HERE.