Notable Alumni of University of California-Santa Cruz

Huey P. Newton 1942–1989

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party

Also attended: Alliant International University, Merritt College

Joan Donoghue 1956–

Former president of the International Court of Justice

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

John Doolittle 1950–

Former Republican U.S. Representative from California

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1972

Also attended: University of the Pacific

Amita Kuttner 1990–

Astrophysicist and former interim Green Party of Canada leader

Susan Wojcicki 1968–2024

Former CEO of YouTube

Master of Science · Economics · Class of 1993

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Harvard University

Father: Stanley Wojcicki (University of California-Berkeley, Harvard University)

Mother: Esther Wojcicki (University of California-Berkeley, San Jose State University)

Daniela Amodei 1987–

President and co-founder of Anthropic

Spouse: Holden Karnofsky (Harvard University)

Sibling: Dario Amodei (Princeton University)

Jonah Peretti 1974–

Co-founder of BuzzFeed and HuffPost

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sibling: Chelsea Peretti (Barnard College)

Kathryn D. Sullivan 1951–

Former NASA astronaut, geologist and oceanographer

Wendy Brown 1955–

Political theorist at Institute for Advanced Study

Bachelor of Arts · Politics, Economics · Class of 1977

Also attended: Princeton University

Marc Okrand 1948–

Linguist, creator of the Klingon language

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Steven Hawley 1951–

Former NASA astronaut and professor emeritus

Also attended: University of Kansas

Spouse: Sally Ride (University of California-Los Angeles, Swarthmore College)

Geoffrey Marcy 1954–

Astronomer, early exoplanet detection pioneer

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1982

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Debra Fischer 1951–

Astronomer and Yale professor emerita

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1998

Also attended: California State University-Sacramento, San Francisco State University, University of Iowa

John Grinder 1940–

Linguist, developer of neuro-linguistic programming

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1971

Also attended: University of San Francisco

Victor Davis Hanson 1953–

Classicist, military historian and political commentator

Also attended: Stanford University

Natalie Batalha 1966–

Astrophysicist and Kepler Mission scientist

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Konstantin Batygin 1986–

Astronomer and Caltech professor of planetary sciences

Bachelor's degree · Astrophysics · Class of 2008

Also attended: California Institute of Technology

Sandy Stone 1936–

Media theorist and emerita professor at UT Austin

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 1982–

Cosmologist at the University of New Hampshire

Also attended: Harvard University

Bret Weinstein 1969–

Evolutionary biologist, podcaster and author

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Pennsylvania

Spouse: Heather Heying (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor)

Sibling: Eric Weinstein (Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania)

Kristen R. Ghodsee 1970–

Ethnographer and professor at the University of Pennsylvania

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley

Nicholas B. Suntzeff 1952–

Astronomer and cosmologist, Texas A&M professor

Also attended: Stanford University

Harriet Dinerstein 1955–

Astronomer, 1985 Annie J. Cannon Prize winner

Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1980

Also attended: Yale University

Chela Sandoval 1956–

Chicana studies professor and postcolonial feminist theorist

Rebecca Romijn 1972–

Actress, played Mystique in X-Men films

Spouse: Jerry O'Connell (Southwestern Law School, New York University)

bell hooks 1952–2021

Author, feminist and social critic

Doctor of Philosophy · English · Class of 1983

Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Stanford University

Andy Samberg 1978–

Comedian, actor and member of The Lonely Island

Also attended: New York University

Spouse: Joanna Newsom (Northeastern University Oakland)

Amy Tan 1952–

Author of The Joy Luck Club

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, San Jose City College, San Jose State University

Maya Rudolph 1972–

Actress and comedian, Saturday Night Live cast member

Father: Richard Rudolph (Tulane University of Louisiana)

Cary Joji Fukunaga 1977–

Filmmaker who directed True Detective season one

Also attended: New York University

Miranda July 1974–

Film director, screenwriter, actress and author

Spouse: Mike Mills (The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art)

Camryn Manheim 1961–

Actress known for The Practice

Also attended: Cabrillo College, New York University

Brannon Braga 1965–

Television producer and screenwriter, Star Trek franchise

Also attended: Kent State University at Stark

Ally Walker 1961–

Actress known for Moon Over Miami

Spouse: John Landgraf (Pitzer College)

Akiva Schaffer 1977–

Comedian, director and member of The Lonely Island

Ezra Klein 1984–

New York Times columnist and podcast host

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Spouse: Annie Lowrey (Harvard University)

Gillian Welch 1967–

Singer-songwriter performing with David Rawlings

Also attended: Berklee College of Music

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin 1978–

Film director and screenwriter

Omi Vaidya 1982–

Actor known for 3 Idiots

Also attended: New York University

Kent Nagano 1951–

Conductor, former Hamburg State Opera music director

Also attended: San Francisco State University

Pat Murphy 1955–

Author of science fiction and fantasy novels

Susie Bright 1958–

Feminist author and journalist

Marti Noxon 1964–

Screenwriter and producer, worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Sibling: David Kohan (Wesleyan University)

Sibling: Jenji Kohan (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Susan Ruttan 1948–

Actress known for L.A. Law

Also attended: University of Oregon

Edward Neumeier 1957–

Screenwriter of RoboCop and Starship Troopers

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

Bradley Nowell 1968–1996

Lead singer of the band Sublime

Katie Leigh 1958–

Voice actress

Also attended: San Francisco State University, University of San Francisco

Stephen Mirrione 1969–

Film editor and Academy Award winner

Also attended: University of Southern California

Emily Jane White 1982–

Singer-songwriter

Laurie Garrett 1951–

Science journalist and author, Pulitzer Prize winner

Jayne Ann Krentz 1948–

Romance novelist and bestselling author

Also attended: San Jose State University

Steve Martini 1946–

Writer of legal novels

Also attended: University of the Pacific

Brett Dennen 1979–

Folk-pop singer-songwriter and guitarist

Patricia Aakhus 1952–2012

Novelist and international studies director

Also attended: Norwich University

Jessie Nelson 1955–

Film director, producer, actress and writer

Spouse: Bryan Gordon (University of Delaware)

Gail Carriger 1976–

Steampunk fiction author and archaeologist

Also attended: Oberlin College

Paul Mayeda Berges 1968–

Screenwriter and director of Bend It Like Beckham

Richard Bandler 1950–

Co-founder of neuro-linguistic programming

Also attended: Foothill College

Gus Hansen 1974–

Danish professional poker player

Bettina Aptheker 1944–

Political activist, feminist, professor and author

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, San Jose State University

Father: Herbert Aptheker (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Jonah 1959–

Former primate of the Orthodox Church in America

Also attended: University of California-San Diego