Official Blog | UCGPC

Graduate and professional students across the UC system are cordially invited to the UCGPC Virtual Grad Summit happening Saturday, January 24th, 2026, from 4:00 – 8:00 PM! Join us for an incredible evening of learning, which brings together experts and leaders to discuss issues affecting graduate and professional students across the UC system.

👉 Make sure to register on Zoom here: Bit.ly/gradsummit2026

What to Expect

This year’s Summit is fully virtual and will feature short, focused conversations with speakers, with each segment including a brief Q&A conducted by a UCGPC representative. No prior advocacy experience is required, and the event is designed to be an informative evening of accessible, relevant information for all graduate and professional students and anyone else! Breakout rooms will be introduced at times.

Check out the list of guest speakers below:

Our guest speakers will dive into topics of related to:

• Basic Needs – Ruben Canedos | 4:35 – 4:50 PM
• Immigration – Kevin R. Johnson | 4:50 – 5:05 PM
• Healthcare – Zina Slaughter | 5:50 – 6:05 PM
• Education – Julie R Posselt | 6:05 – 6:20 PM
• Graduate Researcher Perspectives – Kacie Ring | 6:20 – 6:35 PM

We will conclude with closing remarks from our UCGPC President, Stephanie Valadez, so be sure to stick around!

Want to learn more about UCGPC?

We represent over 60,000 graduate and professional students across the University of California system as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and invite you to read about our work and Board members on our page.

Also, make sure to follow us on instagram for more updates.

UCGPC encourages you to share the event with peers, coworkers, and other campus organizations. See you there!

Questions? Feel free to direct them to: secretary@ucgpc501c3.org