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Karina Talamantes ’11 goes on camera for “The College Tour.”

Campus Featured in ‘The College Tour’

by Julia Ann Easley | Sep 16, 2021 | Culture , On Campus

Most UC Davis tour guides show off the campus to a dozen or so people at a time. But this is very different.

Nine students and an alumna share their stories in a new episode of “ The College Tour ” — with the potential to reach millions on streaming platforms.

The 30-minute episode is part of the show’s second season, and UC Davis is the first California university to participate.

In the show, the Aggies perform backflips in the stadium, roll through downtown Davis on a bicycle, take viewers inside the Horse Barn and up close with baby goats, and do more as they tell their stories about UC Davis.

“We think it’s a great opportunity to open our doors and give prospective students the opportunity to see what our undergraduate experience is like,” said Jasmin Francis-Bush, director of Brand Management and Marketing for the campus. “This has the potential to be our biggest reach.”

How to Watch

The UC Davis episode is already on “The College Tour” app (available from Google Play and the iOS App Store ). It’s expected to be available in November through Amazon Prime Video and the show’s own channel on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and more.

To reach hundreds of millions

Rising sophomore Mahiri Moore Jr. talks in the video about living in Davis and is enthusiastic about “The College Tour.” “This is absolutely amazing — it’s definitely something I wish I’d had,” the communication major said in an interview. The pandemic and the 400-plus miles between his home in Victorville and the campus prevented him from visiting before he started his freshman year, he added.

Series co-creator and host Alex Boylan, who won CBS’s “Amazing Race” in 2002 and now produces and hosts television and web shows, said the inspiration for “The College Tour” came after the pandemic and financial constraints prevented a niece from traveling to tour colleges. The show launched in November 2020.

When producers invited UC Davis to participate in the show, the campus had already pivoted to remote instruction and virtual admissions events and tours. Pandemic or not, UC Davis seized the opportunity to help make the campus accessible to even more prospective students.

The $68,000 the campus paid DreamJobbing included video shooting, editing and post-production services. Even more advantageous, Francis-Bush said, is the guaranteed distribution for two years through the multiple streaming platforms with a reach of 268 million households.

She said UC Davis is also able to share the video through its own communications platforms and retains rights to all the video footage for other uses.

The project was funded by Enrollment Management, which oversees Undergraduate Admissions.

Chancellor Gary S. May films “The College Tour.”

In the UC Davis episode, Chancellor May welcomes viewers to campus and provides an overview of the campus. “Looking back, I remember how excited I was to plan for college, but I had a lot of questions too,” he tells viewers.

As the Aggies share their personal stories, they represent the four undergraduate colleges and highlight important aspects of a UC Davis education including the breadth and rigors of academics, creating community, opportunities for hands-on learning and more.

‘For our community’

Strategic Communications staff recruited students they had already worked with and sought recommendations from the Welcome Center, which oversees tour guides, and other campus units.

Twins Vanessa and Victoria Liera of Panorama City are working to enhance the support systems for fellow students of color and women pursuing engineering. The first-generation college students are both rising seniors studying electrical engineering.

“Community is an important part of college, and one of our goals is to share our faces for our community,” Vanessa said. “Sharing our story is a big part of why we did the video.”

Featured participants, all from California, are, by college:

• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences — Gabrielle Ricks of Oakland, an animal science major who will be entering her sophomore year; Karina Talamantes ’11 from Willows, who graduated with a degree in community and regional development; and Karyn Utsumi ’21 from Dublin, who graduated with a degree in environmental science and management.
• College of Biological Sciences — Jeremy Brown of Redding, a rising senior studying genetics and genomics.
• College of Engineering — Vanessa and Victoria Liera of Panorama City, majoring in electrical engineering and soon starting their senior year.
• College of Letters and Science — Mahiri Moore Jr. of Victorville, a rising sophomore studying communication; Akshita Gandra ’21 from Fremont, who majored in cognitive science; Kyla Kessler of Fremont, a senior studying psychology; and Alexander Torres of San Jose, a rising senior majoring in sociology — organizational studies and international relations.

Students drafted their scripts, participated in production meetings and invited friends to join them in some shots. Photos and videos they provided made the UC Davis story even more personal.

As compensation, the students received a $250 gift card and additional funds to purchase UC Davis-branded clothing for the shoot. But the benefits also included the opportunity to hone their professional and communication skills as they worked with the production team — some students said they have already added the experience to their resumé.

The video highlights sweeping aerial views of campus; shows Kyla Kessler, co-captain of the women’s gymnastics team, doing backflips; showcases such campus icons as the Egghead sculptures and Unitrans buses; and visits the Davis Farmers Market.

Face coverings worn in the video show how the pandemic also had a role. The production team and participants followed county and campus public safety protocols during the video shoot, which took place in May. The episode includes additional campus footage and photos shot at other times.

The episode also features a shout-out for the development of a rapid saliva-based COVID-19 test and UC Davis’ award-winning community testing and vaccination efforts through Healthy Davis Together and Healthy Yolo Together .

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Get an Aggie’s perspective on life at UCD

Hear what it’s like to be a UC Davis Aggie from one of our enthusiastic and engaging student tour guides! They can help you discover what’s different about UC Davis, from the obvious (our bike-friendly campus ) to the outlandish (the Walt Disney World fire hydrant near our law school).

Read some of their stories below, then connect with an Aggie Tour Guide in real time by registering for one of our online admission presentations .

Student Ambassador Chairs

Riley Cisneros-Mann

Pronouns: he/him

Major: Sociology, Communication

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the dynamic of being such a large university (in population and size) while also providing a comforting home due to the inclusive community and plenty of chances to see friendly faces as you get around campus.

Joseph Sweeney

Major: Wildlife Fish & Conservation Biology

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the arboretum! I love studying in the Redwood Grove, going to office hours by the pond or just walking along the path with friends.

Student Ambassador Council

Jack Crandall

Major: Economics and Tech Management

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the collaborative culture. Every professor, TA, and student is willing to help out and help you succeed academically, even if you're complete strangers.

Missy Zepeda

Pronouns: she/her

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Favorite thing about UC Davis? One of my favorite things about UC Davis is how green the campus is. My favorite spot on campus is the Redwood Grove because in just a few steps it can feel like you are not even in the city anymore. Besides being green I love how friendly the community is. Walking through the quad or even through town you can always find familiar faces to say hello.

Ryan Taylor

Major: Civil Engineering

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the people, everyone is very friendly here and open to helping you out.

Zoe Brumbaugh

Major: Marine and Coastal Sciences

Coral Pongsuwan

Major: Human Development

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the collaborative spirit a majority of the study body has!

Favorite thing about UC Davis? I love how there is always something to do at Davis! Even though it is on the smaller side, you will never get bored here!

Jojo Carusa

Major: Nutrition Science and Psychology

Favorite thing about UC Davis? The people. Davis is full of unique, friendly, and helpful people that will blow you away. They are the easiest people to make friends with, whether you sit next to each other in a class or just bump into each other in the quad. The people of Davis are what make the campus such a vibrant and happy place.

Izzy Engler

Major: International Relations

Favorite thing about UC Davis? The community! The people here are amazingly supportive and I love the warm atmosphere of acceptance!

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Get an Aggie’s perspective on life at UCD

Hear what it’s like to be a UC Davis Aggie from one of our enthusiastic and engaging student tour guides! They can help you discover what’s different about UC Davis, from the obvious (our bike-friendly campus ) to the outlandish (the Walt Disney World fire hydrant near our law school).

Read some of their stories below, then connect with an Aggie Tour Guide in real time by registering for one of our online admission presentations .

Student Ambassador Chairs

Riley Cisneros-Mann

Pronouns: he/him

Major: Sociology, Communication

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the dynamic of being such a large university (in population and size) while also providing a comforting home due to the inclusive community and plenty of chances to see friendly faces as you get around campus.

Joseph Sweeney

Major: Wildlife Fish & Conservation Biology

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the arboretum! I love studying in the Redwood Grove, going to office hours by the pond or just walking along the path with friends.

Student Ambassador Council

Jack Crandall

Major: Economics and Tech Management

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the collaborative culture. Every professor, TA, and student is willing to help out and help you succeed academically, even if you're complete strangers.

Missy Zepeda

Pronouns: she/her

Major: Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning

Favorite thing about UC Davis? One of my favorite things about UC Davis is how green the campus is. My favorite spot on campus is the Redwood Grove because in just a few steps it can feel like you are not even in the city anymore. Besides being green I love how friendly the community is. Walking through the quad or even through town you can always find familiar faces to say hello.

Ryan Taylor

Major: Civil Engineering

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the people, everyone is very friendly here and open to helping you out.

Zoe Brumbaugh

Major: Marine and Coastal Sciences

Coral Pongsuwan

Major: Human Development

Favorite thing about UC Davis? My favorite thing about UC Davis is the collaborative spirit a majority of the study body has!

Favorite thing about UC Davis? I love how there is always something to do at Davis! Even though it is on the smaller side, you will never get bored here!

Jojo Carusa

Major: Nutrition Science and Psychology

Favorite thing about UC Davis? The people. Davis is full of unique, friendly, and helpful people that will blow you away. They are the easiest people to make friends with, whether you sit next to each other in a class or just bump into each other in the quad. The people of Davis are what make the campus such a vibrant and happy place.

Izzy Engler

Major: International Relations

Favorite thing about UC Davis? The community! The people here are amazingly supportive and I love the warm atmosphere of acceptance!