Could Chipotle bring graduate students together? Maria Calderon Leon, a Ph.D. student in psychology, thought it might.
She applied for funding from UC Davis Student Affairs and launched “Carbs and Community,” an informal space where graduate students could connect with others across campus.
“At its core, it was just, ‘let's get grad students together and let's provide some enticing food,’” said Calderon.
The event was a success, and since then, Calderon has found other ways to build community. She became a UC Davis Graduate Student Association representative and was active on the AVANZA Graduate Student Council, where she helped develop strategies to recruit and retain underrepresented scholars. She also served as chair of the Inclusive Excellence subcommittee for the Chancellor’s Graduate and Professional Student Advisory Board.
For these and many more contributions, Calderon was recognized with a 2026 Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Inclusive Excellence. The road to this recognition began when she realized how hard it was for her fellow graduate students to connect with each other.
Building community in the small moments
Calderon said that building community is much harder for graduate students than for undergraduates. Undergraduate life is full of opportunities to connect through various campus-wide clubs and activities. Most graduate student connections happen within their departments.
When Calderon began volunteering in leadership positions on campus, she realized she had a chance to create new community opportunities.
“I thought that I was in a position of having met with all of these people that there might be new ways that we could build community,” said Calderon.
She built upon the successful Carbs and Community events with new ones, including events that brought K-9 Officers Cali and Leia to students through the Community Outreach and Engagement Officer Program.
Right now, Calderon is focusing her efforts on making Walker Hall a central hub for graduate students on campus. The building, which reopened in 2021 after extensive renovations, is home to the UC Davis Graduate Center.
To Calderon, Walker Hall is an ideal place for graduate students to connect with peers across campus. Working there instead of a department office creates the possibility for simple greetings and casual conversations that become the basis for friendship and community.
“It's like a chance to say hi,” said Calderon. “To build community doesn't have to be these big events.”
Creating community across campus
Starting her fourth year at UC Davis, Calderon works with Kristin Lagattuta, professor and chair of psychology. Her research focuses on how we shape and are in turn shaped by our own emotions and our relationships with those close to us.
In an April ceremony, Calderon celebrated with Gary May and the other Chancellor’s Award winners. She also said that she knew about the UC Davis Principles of Community, but it wasn’t until she began to give back to her community that they truly resonated.
“The underlying acknowledgement that we all are contributing something — that mattered a lot to me,” said Calderon. “I didn't want my graduate career to just be about how am I advancing my research but also how am I giving back and making the UC Davis community better.”
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