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Congratulations to Kacie Ring (the UCSB 2024 Grad Slam Champion) for not only taking Second Place but also People's Choice in the systemwide UC Grad Slam!
The UCSB Graduate Division and Graduate Student Resource Center want to send out a big Congratulations to our Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB) graduate student, Kacie Ring! Not only did she win the hearts of our UCSB Grad Slam judges here at UCSB, but also that of all those tuning in across the UCs for the systemwide Grad Slam Finale in San Francisco! Our 2024 UCSB Grad Slam champion brought home 2 awards, the People's Choice and Second Place! We couldn't be more proud.
During a brief interview, Ring remarks on her "Complete and utter shock!" at winning both Second Place and People's Choice. Ring recalls how she "did not imagine that I would take home a prize, and I didn't even know it was possible to take home two awards! I was ecstatic to receive people's choice. Throughout this process, I have been overflowing with gratitude to those who have supported me, but to have that even further validated by this award made me emotional."
As a contestant at the UC Grad Slam, Ring says that "The support from the graduate division, my department, and UCSB blew me away." Of those most impactful, Ring names Shawn, Anna, Jin Shook, Leila, Robert, Dar, and John as the those she is "especially grateful to ... in the graduate division." "They were always there when I needed them and made (the Grad Slam) process so fun and enjoyable," said Ring.
When asked how Ring is feeling after her double whammy win, Ring says she "was, and still [is] on cloud nine."
Once again, we'd like to give a great big Congratulations to Kacie Ring for winning both Second Place and People's Choice at system wide UC Grad Slam. If you'd like to see her award winning talk "Healthy Forests, Health Humans." You can check it out below!