UC Merced Magazine | Commemorative Chronicle

Merced Mayor Matt Serratto agreed that community-friendly events at the university, along with improvements in public transportation and increased o -campus student housing, will strengthen the sense of town and gown. “Over time, the connection

builds,” Serratto said. “We’re already at a point where you couldn’t imagine the city without it.”

September 5, 2025 — City of Merced Mayor Matt Serratto (le ) pictured with Vice Chancellor Ed Klotzbier — at Bobcat Field kicking o the 20th Anniversary Celebration and UC Merced’s rst NCAA Division II game.

She followed her bachelor’s in Merced with master’s and doctoral studies, choosing Stanford University. Glaze said she saw the engineering labs at Stanford, UC Berkeley and Harvard University, and “nothing compares” to the labs at her hometown research institution. “UC Merced is the gateway to everything,” said Glaze, who now works at Intel as a senior packaging engineer and chip integration specialist. “ e opportunities are endless. Focus and believe in yourself.”

A Merced native has watched the intertwining of UC Merced and the city from a singular vantage point. Janna Glaze ’12 came to the university in 2008, transferring from Merced College and pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. Two years earlier, Glaze co-founded J&R Tacos, a longtime hangout for students and the city at large. e restaurant hosted poetry readings, dances and other arts events. Glaze created two endowed scholarships for UC Merced students, one in the restaurant’s name and one in her own.

UC Merced is the gateway to everything

janna glaze ’12 SENIOR PACKAGING ENGINEER & CHIP INTEGRATION SPECIALIST INTEL