🐻 Cal Bears in the Desert
February 2026 Alumni Update
Cal Bears in the Desert is entering a new chapter of consistent engagement and visibility across the Coachella Valley. Beginning this month, you’ll receive a monthly update featuring alumni highlights, upcoming events, and opportunities to support and connect with fellow Bears.
Our strength as a chapter grows when we share our work and show up for one another across the Valley. If you have news, milestones, or events to include in a future issue, we welcome your submissions.
Best,
Maximiliano Ochoa ’14
Vice President, Cal Bears in the Desert
📅 Breaking Barriers: Women in Law and Beyond
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 PM (PT) | Virtual | Free
Cal Bears in the Desert is proud to share an invitation from our fellow alumna Jana Balik FitzGerald ’07, who served as a panelist for this national conversation hosted by Koa Counsel — a discussion featuring accomplished women leaders redefining success in the legal profession and beyond.
🥎 Cal Bears at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
February 19–22 | Palm Springs, CA
The Cal Softball team came to the Coachella Valley for the annual Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Our Cal Bears in the Desert President and several alumni attended the Sunday, February 22 games to cheer on the Golden Bears.
📚 The Strikers of Coachella Lecture Series
February 19 & 21 | Indio & Mecca
UC Berkeley Associate Professor Christian O. Paiz (Department of Ethnic Studies) brought his public history work to the Coachella Valley this spring, based on his book The Strikers of Coachella, which re-frames the history of the United Farm Workers and Chicana/o movements through overlooked communities and activists. The series included a lecture at College of the Desert’s Indio Campus and a Public History Reunion at Mecca Public Library.
📰 Cal Bears in the Desert: In the News
Alumni Spotlight – Olivia Rodriguez ’15
We’re proud to highlight Olivia Rodriguez ’15, who was featured in The Desert Sun for her work advancing air quality awareness and youth-led research in the eastern Coachella Valley. In the January 12 article, “Amid air quality concerns, valley students ask ‘will change happen?'”, Olivia, now a program manager with Youth Leadership Institute’s Coachella Unincorporated initiative, helped guide a participatory action research project where local youth conducted 51 interviews and 185 surveys to better understand how air pollution affects daily life in communities such as Mecca, Thermal, and North Shore. The result was a bilingual zine, Take a Breath for the Future.
Congratulations, Olivia, on this well-deserved recognition and thank you for the work you’re doing to help our communities breathe easier.
🤝 Get Involved
Interested in helping with admissions outreach, events, communications, or mentoring local Cal admits? Email us or raise your hand at our next chapter meeting.
Cal Bears in the Desert 