Life-Changing Experience
Deepening the passion: new dimension and purpose
Ever since he was a child building elaborate Lego cities on the kitchen floor, Andy had always been drawn to urban environments. So when he was encouraged to spend a quarter in Sacramento during his junior year, he jumped at the chance. He’d come to UC Davis to study civil engineering, impressed by the hands-on program and the university’s unique experiential learning opportunities. When Andy’s advisor told him about the zero-net-energy design course she’d be teaching at Aggie Square as part of a thematic cluster about climate change, it was a perfect fit for his growing interest in sustainable urban planning.
Andy’s Quarter at Aggie Square experience both deepened that passion and gave it new dimension and purpose. After the quarter ended, he took it to the next level—securing an internship at City Hall, where he helped support the expansion of Aggie Square’s electric transit system. Now, five years later, he leads a city task force that is reimagining the future of green metro transportation in Sacramento and beyond.
Urban learning environment: empowering students with real-world opportunities
Quarter at Aggie Square will immerse students like Andy in an urban learning environment that empowers them to engage deeply with real-world challenges. Through coordinated experiences that leverage unique Aggie Square opportunities—including internships, service learning and community-based field research—students will work directly with faculty who are actively impacting our region, as well as with civic leaders, industry experts and policymakers. Quarter at Aggie Square will give students space to test their ideas, hone them through dialogue and collaboration, and put these ideas to work in meaningful ways.
Provide students with immersive spaces to test ideas and collaborate
- Build a state-of-the-art living and learning environment at Aggie Square, including student residences and collaborative learning spaces
- Establish an endowed directorship and other resources that attract and support exceptional faculty mentors
- Create scholarship and internship opportunities that transform the educational experience for students in every field
Quarter at Aggie Square will position UC Davis students at the epicenter of a thriving innovation ecosystem. We invite the philanthropic partnership of our alumni and friends in infusing our communities with bright, talented future leaders.