Santa Clara University

What happens when AI begins improving itself?

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, so do the questions surrounding its impact on society. How do we ensure these systems remain accountable, transparent, and aligned with human values?

Computer science and engineering professor Yi Fang has spent more than two decades researching AI, machine learning, and natural language processing. Today, as director of Santa Clara University's Responsible AI program, he is focused on ensuring emerging technologies are developed ethically and used in ways that benefit people.

What happens when AI starts improving itself? As AI systems become more autonomous, computer science and engineering professor Yi Fang works to keep them accountable and human-centered.

When Jalen Paige ’26 received his first insulin pump at age nine, he saw how a single piece of technology could transform someone's life.

Today, the computer science alum is turning that inspiration into action. Through internships at Meta, he has worked on accessibility-focused features for Facebook and Instagram, while also developing tools to help manage his own Type 1 diabetes.

His commitment to helping others extends beyond technology. As co-chair of Igwebuike, Santa Clara’s Black Student Union, Jalen has spent four years building community and creating spaces where Black students feel seen, supported, and connected.

Jalen Paige ’26 aspires to build technology that helps people and strengthens communities ‘It is especially important, now more than ever, to consider the moral weight of the technology we create and really ask ourselves what we hope to gain.’

When Juana Melgoza ’26 was asked to write down her dream employers, she included Netflix and Disney—then erased them.

As a first-generation college student from a small farming community, she once believed those companies were out of reach. But a mentor in Santa Clara University LEAD Scholars Program encouraged her to think bigger and connected her with a professional at Netflix. That conversation helped change the way she saw her future.

Over the next four years, Melgoza built a network of mentors, gained hands-on marketing experience, and helped other first-generation students find belonging and opportunity through her work as a senior marketing assistant for LEAD.

Today, she leaves Santa Clara with the confidence to pursue her goals and a passion for helping others do the same.

Juana Melgoza ’26 learned to double down on her dreams at Santa Clara The first in her family to go to college, Melgoza once believed top Silicon Valley companies were out of reach—until the LEAD Scholars Program helped her build the confidence and connections to pursue them.

Pre-med. Studio arts. Researcher. Dancer. Singer.

For Madeline Patrick ’26, college wasn't about choosing one path—it was about discovering how all of her passions could work together.

When she arrived at Santa Clara University, Patrick knew she loved painting and wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Four years later, she's leaving with experiences that span both worlds: studying anatomy through art, developing film in the darkroom, creating sculpture with artist-in-residence Ana Teresa Fernández, conducting cancer research, and presenting her work on adenoid cystic carcinoma at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

Medical school is next, with reconstructive plastic surgery as the long-term goal. But she’s not rushing.

“We’re only laying the foundation for what I’m going to blossom into.”

‘We’re only laying the foundation for what I’m going to blossom into.’ Pre-med. Studio arts. At Santa Clara, Madeline Patrick ’26 didn't have to pick.

Drawing on her political career and shifting professional roles, undergraduate commencement speaker Dee Dee Myers ’83 gave Santa Clara University’s largest-ever graduating class a powerful piece of advice: don't focus on winning. Instead, pursue work with meaning, purpose, and the potential to make a difference.

This year’s Class of 2026 makes history as Santa Clara's largest graduating class ever, with 1,781 graduation-eligible students.

Santa Clara University’s largest-ever graduating class celebrates commencement The University's 175th commencement ceremony featured joyful celebrations and inspiring speakers.