Now with more than 1,200 alumni to its name, University of California, Merced on Thursday announced it has established the first-ever board of directors for its Alumni Association.

Christopher Abrescy (’09), Uday Bali (’08), Josh Bolin (’07), Jason Castillo (’09), Efferman Ezell (’09), Sam Fong (’09), Jose Godinez (’11), James Kirby (’10), Jacqueline Miramontes (’10), Elizabeth Perkins (’11) and Yaasha Sabba (’09) will serve as the board's founding members.

The board will be tasked with defining what constitutes an alumni association chapter, requirements to establish such a chapter, and how the alumni association will grow across the state, country and world. Then, the board will work to establish regional alumni chapters, keeping alumni involved in their college.

“We will continue to show current students that their time at UC Merced does not end upon graduation,” Sabba said. “In addition, we will use this organization to provide current alumni with new tools and resources that will help them improve their skills, capabilities, and lives. We will further prove to future students how UC Merced is not your ordinary university; on top of getting a private education at a public rate, they will also be entering into a huge family that will continue to support them throughout their lifetimes.”