UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School hosts 2026 Fellowship Breakfast

SANTA BARBARA, Calif (KEYT) - Academic honors and a financial boost were bestowed Friday morning on the most promising graduate students at The Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara.

Maria Zate, Director of Communications, told Your News Channel that 61 students received fellowships during the annual 2026 Fellowship Breakfast.

The newest was established by UCSB alumni, Linda and David Forman, with the the Linda and David Forman Fellowship Fund for Community Fellows Fund. That particular fund supports highly qualified fellows from low-income, first generation and, bilingual backgrounds.

Recipient, Sofia Arias Zarate, has been a PEAC (Program for Effective Access to College) fellow from the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) PEAC Foundation since high school. 

"They have helped me one step closer to my teaching career in Santa Barbara, which is where I grew up," said Zarate. "I really want to give back to my community, it has been full circle." 

The Community Fellows Fund is a partnership between the Gevirtz school, SBUSD and, philanthropic investors.

Private foundations and individual donors contributed to 27 funds this year totaling more than $200,000. 

"This fund covers all costs of the fellows’ teacher education experience," Zate said, via email.