Meet UCSB’s 2026 Raab Writing Fellows

The sky is the limit for 18 ambitious UCSB students. This year’s cohort of Raab Writing Fellows brought their creative spirits and passions to life with year-long interdisciplinary projects led by Writing Program Faculty, endowed by author, poet, and philanthropist Diana Raab.

This past Wednesday, this year’s shining fellows presented the culmination of their projects at the Mosher Alumni House. The presentation was led by Raab Writing Fellows Program organizer and Raab Seminar facilitator Peter Huk, and joined by special guest Diana Raab.

Spanning memoir, investigative journalism, fiction, advocacy writing, and academic inquiry, this year’s fellows led their projects with genuine passion and timeliness. “What strikes me most about this cohort is the remarkable range and ambition of what the fellows chose to pursue,” said Huk.

This year, the Raab Writing Fellows program is celebrating a decade at UCSB. Over this time, the program has encouraged students to realize their potential and work closely with faculty mentors to bring their writing projects to life. The showcase at the end of each school year acts as an exciting presentation of each student’s journey. “Each of the projects reveal, in varying ways, curiosity, creativity, passion, risk-taking, vulnerability, and self-expression,” said Huk.

Huk began the showcase by introducing this year’s “brilliant and creative group of student fellows.” He explained how this year encountered significant challenges due to university budget cuts and a restructured program. However, in the face of these hurdles, “the resilience of the students and mentors has been nothing short of inspiring.” 

The showcase was organized into a series of panels, where each student was placed into a category based on the content of their project. 

The first of these were the memoir-based pieces, centered around the themes of trauma, transformation, and triumph. In this panel was Andrew Alvarado, Lauren Ryan, and Megan Cross. This panel was marked by striking courage and vulnerability. Alvarado handed out playbills to the play he had written of different acts of his life in a profoundly creative piece. Ryan and Cross presented personal reflections of their childhood and upbringing, reflecting on major influences on their development. Each of the students shared personal stories that were introspective, creative, and moving. 

Next, the Changing Institutions panel focused on education, advocacy, and access. This panel consisted of Giovanni Ledoux, Glo Zearatt, Justus Swan, Erika Jiang, and Sammy Espinoza. Ledoux offered an interesting perspective as a biology major, highlighting the barriers for minority students pursuing STEM fields. Zearatt created a Cover Letter Writing Kit for marginalized students. Swan presented his research and analysis on the intersections of AI and society, highlighting his career aspirations of one day becoming a professor and implementing what he has learned about teaching and presenting. Jiang wrote on recidivism and reintegration, while Espinoza developed a letter-writing project that connected troubled youth and young offenders with mentors who were in similar positions.

The Journalism Panel featured truth-seeking, rigorous reporting. This panel consisted of Mavis Holley, Ava Wienke, Stany Hernandez, and Ava Boyd. Holley described her investigation into Alaskan Arctic communities, including a five-day trip that she made there thanks to the subsidy of the fellowship. Hernandez explored the hyphenation of American identity amidst a charged political landscape. Boyd gathered testimonies of women throughout Isla Vista and shared their experiences with sexism and sexual assault on campus.

The (Dis)Embodiment Panel focused on the writings on bodies, selfhood, and consciousness. This panel was Simone Edwards, Samantha Heinz, Finnick Gonzalez, and Ethan Woelbern. Edwards presented her Celestial Bodies creative writing pieces. Heinz’s story explored the use of fiction on themes of inhabiting a body and a self. Gonzalez examined the cognitive and psychological dimensions of transgender experiences. Woelbern closed out the panel with a Hegelian meditation on human finitude and the limits of existence.

The final panel was focused on historical truth through fiction. Bella Gragnani presented the beginnings of her novel based on her fascination with neural science. Anasimon Youssef shared her story that centers on young boys navigating the Palestinian conflict. Both of the stories demonstrated the power of fiction to humanize history.

Each of the panels and students left a lasting impression with their creative and insightful works. Diana Raab spoke at the end, humbly sharing, “This is the highlight of my year.” She continued, “The love and passion and following your heart is what gets us through the hard times. All of the subjects that were chosen came through your hearts.” 

As the Fellows program looks to the future, they reflect on the successes of this year’s talented students and want to continue providing this program to facilitate the dreams of UCSB’s ambitious students.

For more information on the Raab Writing Fellows program see writing.ucsb.edu/academics/raab.