The UC Davis Retirees’ Association (UCDRA) grants a career enhancement award to UC Davis staff employees who are furthering their education. The award is named after Lorena Herrig, who served UC Davis for 42 years and felt that having an education was very important. Applications for this award are made through Staff Assembly. The UCDRA partners with Staff Assembly to choose the recipients and process the awards. Read more about the endowment which finances this award.

2018 Lorena Herrig Career Enhancement Award: Arnon Erba, Agricultural and Resource Economics

I’ve been fascinated by computers ever since I was old enough to browse Craigslist for used hardware to fix old PCs. That hobby turned into a career in professional IT support, where I work with Windows, macOS, and Linux. At UC Davis, I’m a Linux system administrator in the Agricultural and Resource Economics department.
I am actively pursuing an associate’s degree in Computer Science through the Los Rios community college system. Eventually, I plan to transfer to UC Davis to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the same field. I am very grateful to be the recipient of a Staff Assembly Scholarship, and I appreciate having the financial support to further my educational goals.

Past Recipients

Year Winner Description
2020-2021 Kyle Clayton, Graduate Center Coordinator, Graduate Studies Complete MBA in Business Administration at CSU, Sacramento State
2020-2021 Marcos Contreras, Pharmacist, Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital Pharmacy Complete MBA at UC Davis, emphasis on business management and administration
2019-2020 Stephanie Zarate, Student Services Associate, Mathematics Obtain MS in Higher Education Leadership Program, CSU, Sacramento State
2018-2019 Eugenia Wong, Web Application Developer, Information & Educational Technology  
2018-2019 Arnon Erba, Systems Administrator, Agricultural and Resources Economics  
2017-2018 Jenna Wilkerson, Pharmacy pursuing a degree in management
2016-2017 Hannah Chale, Diplomacy - International Conflict Management pursuing a master's degree in Diplomacy - International Conflict Management
2015-2016 Juanita Braxton, F. William Blaisdell Surgical Education Program pursuing a doctorate degree in Public Health
2014-2015 Finlay Terhune, Shields Library pursuing a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of San Francisco
2013-2014 Kawami Evans, Student Housing pursuing a PhD in educational Leadership and management from Drexel University
2011-2012 Joyce Nochez, Acute Care pursuing a degree to advance from registered nurse to nurse practitioner
2010-2011 Wendy Stoltz, UC Davis Extention; George Robertson, Graduate School of Management; and Donna Van Dolah, Seed Biotechnology Center  

More information about the UCDRA Scholarship Committee, including committee description and charge.