Recreation Blog

Mohammad (Mo) Alkhadra first heard about Recreation during his freshman year while attending the Revelle College Honors seminar in 2014. A presentation about facilities by Gary Matthews, the Vice Chancellor of Resource Management & Planning at that time, left an impression that motivated Mo to get involved. During his senior year, he reached out and connected with Todd Pitman, Director of Physical Planning & Campus Landscape Architect, and Rich Mylin, the Director of Recreation, to begin his pursuit of impact on UC San Diego Recreation facilities. Read More>

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to do a backflip, Jessica Chu is who you need to talk to. Students-turned-gymnasts have been going head-over-heels in Jessica’s gymnastics classes since she joined Recreation’s Instructional Classes in the fall of 2023. “I love meeting new people every session, and I cherish the moments when a student finally hits a vertical handstand or lands their first front flip," she says. Read More>

Most people’s knowledge of mosquitoes is fairly limited. They have six legs. They can carry various diseases and are a nuisance in large parts of the country during the summer. Their amber was the vehicle that brought the dinosaurs back in the original “Jurassic Park.” Consider AJ Clifford a bit more knowledgeable. Truth be told, mosquitoes don’t bug him at all. When he’s not working as a program assistant for Recreation, AJ — who’s finishing up his master's in biology in the fall of 2025 — is usually buzzing around Rose Lab at UCSD, where he studies local adaptation in mosquitoes. Read More>

Jess Ragsac practically has a degree in dancing. From competing to teaching and everything in between, they have been dancing for as long as they can remember. You could call them Recreation’s own Dr. Dance. And now, before they swap their steps for stethoscopes, they’re leading classes for REC to teach and inspire the next generation of dancers. Read More>

Danika Legg and Macey Kadifa represent two of the five female head coaches for UC San Diego Sports Clubs. The others are Allena Wolfblack (Women’s Lacrosse), Selena Johnson (Dancesport), and Amanda Combs Warford (Field Hockey). These five are just a small number of women who have supported numerous Sports Clubs teams over the past five decades. Read More>

Sophia is a second-year international studies/international business major in Eleanor Roosevelt College who is already making a big impression at UC San Diego Recreation. For REC, her responsibilities include supervising Intramural Sports (such as soccer), and she also helps with the brackets for fraternity sports. Read More>

It’s the Intramural Sports teams from campus clubs and organizations that always bring the noise. Their friends and fans add a little bit more drama to each goal or made basket. And, quite honestly, Jonathan Yepez prefers it that way. It's always very memorable when a team has lots of fans come out to support them,” says Jonathan, an Intramural Sports official in his first year with UC San Diego Recreation. Read More>

Jackie has jumped into Recreation with both feet. She plays on at least one intramural team every quarter, “but obviously, soccer is my favorite,” she says. Last quarter, her soccer team won the Coed AA indoor soccer playoffs and the San Diego Championship Series against other San Diego universities. Read More>

It was the spring of 2022 when she decided to dive back in. A swimmer in high school, Emily Griffin hadn’t been in the pool much for about a decade. Then she decided to sign up for UC San Diego's Masters Swimming program. I thought I was just signing up for a workout class,” says Griffin. Little did she know she was heading headfirst into a new community that would envelop her like the heated Canyonview Pool waters. Read More>

“Life-changing.” That’s how Monica May describes her experience working 1-on-1 with Delaney Fox, one of UC San Diego Recreation’s expert trainers in our Personal Training program. Fox has worked with May once a week for four months, helping her recover — and ultimately grow stronger — from a painful neck injury. “Today I am absolutely delighted to share that I am pain-free," Monica says. Read More>

Pedro Grimaldo Jr. has always been fascinated by technology. Using the science of today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Fast forward to today. Pedro’s fascination with robots and technology has blossomed into his likely career path and grandest passion. In his role with UC San Diego Recreation’s Events team, Pedro uses — you guessed it — a robot to paint the lines of REC and Athletics fields. Read More>

As Student Lead for the Events department, he’s helped lead the teams that set up court-side chairs and benches; put up goals, hoops, and nets; and paint field lines, among many other essential game-day tasks. And while Alex has had a hand in many Recreation and Athletics events since he came aboard in August of 2022, it’s his ears where his true passion lies. Read More>

Using tenacity, teamwork, and a flair for the dramatic, the UC San Diego Esports team recently claimed a milestone tournament victory at the University of California Esports Initiative championship in Santa Monica. “This was the highlight of the entire weekend," Ashley Omiya, UC San Diego student, said. Read More>

From gym newcomers to seasoned veterans, there's a multitude of ways a nationally certified, expert personal trainer can be a major boost to your fitness and health. A personal trainer — such as any member of the UC San Diego Recreation's extraordinary roster — can help you hone in on your technique, remove barriers to exercise, and partner with you for consistency and accountability. Read More>

Prior to coming to UC San Diego, Chloe worked at a fitness studio in her hometown of Scituate, Massachusetts, and was seeking “the same type of uplifting community, empowering workout, and fun that I had there.” That search led her to REC, where Chloe — who recently graduated in the fall of 2024 — has found and continued to bolster a fitness-centered community since the fall of 2022. Read More>

Machaela Ouyang lives to explore. From earthy wonders such as waterfall hikes and abandoned mining caves to a scenic, graffiti-covered overlook above Los Angeles, Machaela is always looking for her next adventure. One of her most memorable moments working with REC — she joined UC San Diego Recreation as a FitLife staff member in May of 2023 — was exploring the Birch Aquarium after hours during one of the Sunset Yoga events. Read More>

Emily — a third-year in Earl Warren College — is one of the Program Assistant Leads for FitLife, handling employee relations for our instructors, trainers, and program assistants. She also co-leads FitLife’s team-member trainings and meetings, assists at yoga events, collaborates on program promotion, demonstrates enthusiastic customer service to our participants, and much more. Quite simply, she makes sure everything runs smoothly. Read More>

The UCSD Men’s Club Water Polo team claimed its third consecutive national championship with a 17-10 victory over California Maritime Academy in Gainesville, Florida, on Nov. 10 in front of dozens of parents and supporters who flew across the country to be a part of history. The win ties UCSD with Lindenwood University, who won three straight titles from 2014 to 2016, as the only men’s club water polo program to three-peat. Read More>

Nathaniel Grant is well known for being fast. As a sprinter on the UCSD Track & Field team, he holds personal records of 10.89 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.33 seconds in the 200 meters. Speed is the name of his game. Except for when, well, it isn’t. That’s when Nathaniel slows it all the way down — out on the golf course. Nathaniel likes to tee it up at courses such as Oaks North Golf Course in San Diego and his home track of Sierra Lakes Golf Club in Fontana. Read More>

It’s safe to say that Emma Hargreaves is a big fan of rock. Rock climbing, rock music — all of it. In fact, if she could pick one superpower, it would be the ability to teleport, to be at the front row of any concert in the world, at any time. “I can't pick one, they were all so incredible!” she says. Emma, a joint mathematics and economics major (2026) in Eleanor Roosevelt College, is also a bit of a rockstar herself. Read More>

Matthew — a double major in political science and economics (2025) in Eleanor Roosevelt College — joined REC in January of 2023 because “it sounded like a great college job.” He said the best part of working for Recreation is “all of the wonderful people you meet." Fast-forward to today and Matthew is now a Facility Supervisor (Fac Sup) and Student Manager — and a critical resource for REC Experience Read More>

As we start another academic year, we invite you to continue celebrating our Men’s Club Water Polo 2023 national championship! With fall quarter and tryouts underway, the program continues to expand and reach new heights. Receiving a tremendous amount of interest, the UCSD Men’s Club Water Polo team is ready to build upon its momentum and be reckoned with once again. Read More>

Whipping up and dishing out drinks to (and chatting with) everyone who comes through the ordering window at Triton eSports Center (TEC) Cafe is Jenna Kim's favorite part of her Lead Barista role. She joined Recreation in 2022 and, at this point, has served up everything on the menu — and a few things that might not be. Read More>

Sehee, a fourth-year in Eleanor Roosevelt College, is a Marketing Assistant with REC and is primarily responsible for creating promotional graphics for digital displays and printed media, such as Instagram stories, campus signage, and much more. Sehee started as a barista in the TEC Café in 2022 but transitioned to Marketing about a year later, where she can utilize creative and design skills. Read More>

Exercising in college isn’t always easy. While most students won’t think twice about attending extra study sessions, staying up late to finish assignments, and packing in a full academic schedule, many students struggle to fit in exercise. But exercise doesn’t have to be limited to lifting weights or using a treadmill in the gym. It can be anything requiring physical activity, such as sports, recreation, stretching between chapters, or walking to classes. Here are four ways to get more physically active. Read More>

Risa is a lead guide for our Outback Adventures program, which runs outdoor trips for UCSD students. Outback trips provide an experience where participants can meet new people and try new things while connecting and engaging with nature. “I went on an Outback Adventures Wilderness Orientation trip as an incoming freshman,” says Risa, who joined REC in 2021. “I thought my guides were the coolest people ever and wanted to be just like them. I'm still close friends with them to this day!” Read More>

Jalen, an assistant guide with Outback and a biochemistry major (2027), has been working with Outback since January and is in his second year of training with the Outdoor Leadership Certificate program. Needless to say, it's been a natural fit. “I love that it gives me an opportunity to be active and do cool things that I really enjoy with awesome people,” Jalen says. “I've found such a great culture and community through Outback, one that I wouldn't have found anywhere else.” Read More>

If she could have one superpower, it would be teleportation. No questions asked, says Galvin Fickes. Perhaps that’s not a surprise, as Galvin is a secondary guide for Outback Adventures and has found her footing in the outdoors here at UCSD. Now that she’s completed the Outdoor Leadership Certificate program, she leads both day and overnight outdoor trips, including hikes, climbing, kayaking, and camping excursions. In August, she even guided a Wilderness Orientation trip, which brought things full circle for her. Read More>

While the reasons to consider joining a Sports Clubs team are too many to list here, we’ll lay out 10 of the most common reasons — along with testimonials from student-athletes themselves from that 2022-2023 survey — to be a part of the legacy. Let us be a part of your collegiate experience at UC San Diego, and embrace the mantra of “30 Sports Clubs, One Team.” Read More>