Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship to be Awarded Friday

Emily Nottingham, the mother of Gabriel Zimmerman, the congressional aide who was killed in the January 2011 attack on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., will present the first Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship to UC Santa Cruz senior Yethzéll Díaz Friday, April 27. Zimmerman graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2002 with a degree in sociology.

The presentation will precede a panel discussion "Careers with a Conscience" in which Ms. Nottingham will participate along with others including NPR Science Correspondent Joe Palca, who graduated from UCSC in 1982 with a Ph.D. in psychology.

The scholarship fund was started days after Zimmerman's death by two UCSC alums who, although they didn't know Zimmerman, were moved by his commitment to public service. The scholarship is awarded to a UCSC student in the Social Sciences Division who plans a career in public service.

A schedule and list of participants follows:
 
When: Friday, April 27, 2012  9 - 11 am
 
Where: Stevenson Event Center, Stevenson College, UC Santa Cruz
 
In coordination with the awarding of the first Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship, Careers with a Conscience will feature a panel discussion about UC Sant Cruz and its role as an incubator of ideals, morals, ethics and values which led the panelists and many other alums to want to “give back and pursue careers with real value, opportunities, and challenges of crafting careers with a conscience.”
 
Award ceremony
 
9 am- Attendees arrive
 
9:15 am- Dean of the Social Sciences Division, Sheldon Kamieniecki welcomes guests, says a few words about the scholarship and introduces Emily Nottingham, Gabriel Zimmerman’s mother.
 
9:20 am- Emily Nottingham says a few words about Gabe and introduces Yethzéll Díaz, the inaugural Gabriel Zimmerman scholarship award winner.
 
9:25 am- Yethzéll Díaz accepts the award.
 
Careers with a Conscience discussion
 
9:28 am- Jonathan Klein introduces himself, talks about his role as the originator of the Gabriel Zimmerman Scholarship and invites the panelists to introduce themselves.
 
9:33 am- Jonathan poses the question: “How is your occupation a career with a conscience, and how did your time at UCSC shape the person you've become?"
 
9:35 am- Emily Nottingham answers on behalf of her son.
 
9:40 am- Anthony Sanchez
 
9:45 am- Pamela Davis
 
9:50 am- Carolyn Moore
 
9:55 am- Joe Palca
 
10 am- Jonathan Klein takes questions from the audience.
 
Speakers
 
Yethzéll Díaz- (Latin American and Latino Studies, Sociology, '12) Yethzéll has a deep commitment to public service and social issues.  After high school, she lived in Paraguay for seven months doing human rights work with Amnesty International.  At UCSC she has worked with other students to create and implement a program in Watsonville schools to increase computer literacy among Spanish-speaking parents.  She has also worked to start UCAN (University College Access Network) a program the will help prepare students from underserved and disadvantaged communities to successfully transition from high school to college.
 
Panelists
 
Jonathan Klein (moderator)- (Politics '89) Jonathan graduated from UCSC in 1989, and went on to law school at Santa Clara University, graduating in 1992.  Jonathan is currently president of Kelly, Hockel & Klein P.C., a San Francisco law firm, where he practices in employment and pharmacy litigation.  Jonathan and fellow Banana Slug Alex Clemens started the Gabriel Zimmerman scholarship after hearing about the tragic events in Tucson, Ariz. of January 8, 2011.
 
Emily Nottingham- Gabe Zimmerman’s mother and former Director of Community Services for the City of Tucson, specializing in affordable housing, community development and social services. Currently an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona and a member of the University of Arizona’s sustainable city project.