REUNIONS
The class of 1972 celebrated 50 years as alumni at the virtual Golden Triton Induction and Celebration , while the classes of 1977 and 1997 celebrated their 45th and 25th milestones , respectively . A virtual reunion of School of Global Policy and Strategy ( GPS ) alumni connected Tritons around the world , while Graduates of the Last Decade ( GOLD ) enjoyed an online wellness social . New this year , the Black Alumni Reunion : Black Joy Celebration brought faculty , staff , students and parents all together to live it up on campus .
Class years ending in 3 and 8 , your reunion is next ! Email alumni @ ucsd . edu to learn more .
TRITON 5K
This year marked the 25 th anniversary of the Triton 5K , a tradition that dates back to 1996 , when UC San Diego ’ s sixth chancellor , Robert C . Dynes , challenged the campus community to step out of the labs , dorm rooms and lecture halls and be a part of something greater than themselves . “ I thought it was time for people to meet each other ,” says Dynes . “ For freshmen to become part of the campus and faculty and students to connect outside of the classroom .”
An avid runner , Dynes was thrilled when several hundred students accepted what soon became known as the Chancellor ’ s Challenge Run / Walk for Scholars . Back then , friendly wagers of car washes were exchanged between Dynes and the AS President , until Joe Leventhal ’ 99 upped the ante , betting a campuswide BBQ he could beat Dynes ’ time — to date , he ’ s the only AS president who ever has .
“ For him to run alongside us and finish , all of us sweaty and tired together , it really humanized him for the students ,” says Leventhal . “ You could tell he was starting a tradition which the student body yearned for .”
That tradition soon found additional purpose — Dynes had the idea to pledge $ 25 toward student scholarships for every runner who bested his race time . “ Students who would pass me in the eucalyptus grove started saying
‘ cha-ching ’ every time ,” says Dynes . “ It was great fun .” Now 79 , Dynes doesn ’ t run like he used to , but all those who ’ ve participated in the 5K since have helped raise more than $ 4 million over the years , benefiting more than 1,000 students at UC San
Chancellor Dynes leads the pack , at least at the starting line .
Diego . That kind of support is a priority for current Chancellor Pradeep K . Khosla , who served as this year ’ s Triton 5K Grand Marshal . “ Undergraduate scholarship support is critical to helping develop current and future generations of Triton changemakers ,” he says .
Along with evolving purpose , technology has made its mark as well . Today , Tritons race and raise funds from anywhere in the world with the Virtual Triton 5K . This year , 64 virtual teams plus 1,234 individual runners , walkers and the first-ever swimmer from 14 countries raised $ 82,473 for student scholarships .
— Malinda Danziger ’ 00
Have you run the 5K or its forebears ? Let us know at tritonmag @ ucsd . edu
THANK YOU to our sponsors and corporate partners of this year ’ s Triton 5K . For more than 25 years , the 5K has raised more than $ 4 million and benefited over 1,000 students .
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