What Does 94,419 Hours of Student Volunteering Look Like

More than 1,000 UC Merced students are out in the community doing volunteer work that changes lives, including their own. They tutor second-graders and mentor high schoolers, clean up neighborhoods, and prepare meals for people experiencing homelessness.

Some traveled last year to a Native American reservation to partner with residents to address food insecurity and learn from the tribe's agricultural heritage.

The university's Community Engagement Center serves as an organizer and connector between volunteers and local community agencies and individuals. Opportunities for service are designed to be reciprocal. The CEC helps find meaningful partnerships that empower both students and community partners.

In the 2025-26 academic year, about 1,200 UC Merced students logged 94,419 hours of volunteerism through the center. That's about 79 hours per student, roughly two full work weeks each.

"Our students are remarkable," Director Vernette Doty said.

The impact of UC Merced student volunteerism is found in more than 100,000 hours of work, Doty said.

"It is found in the relationships students build, the communities they strengthen and the understanding they carry with them long after the service ends," she said. "Students learn that Merced and the Central Valley are more than where they attend college. They are communities to which they belong, that they can contribute to and learn from."

Some of the volunteer programs managed by the center provide stipends or academic credit, but many of the participants do the work with no compensation other than a sense of accomplishment and connection, Doty said. She noted that many participants also say they are repaying kindnesses once received or "paying it forward."