Smith Society – The Smith Society is a volunteer organization serving students who grew up in foster care or otherwise without traditional family support. Founded in 1999, it is based in Cowell College and is funded by private donations.

The Smith Society is a community offering friendship and support across generations to UC Santa Cruz students who grew up facing multiple adversities.

Many spent years in foster care, lost their parents, became caught up in the juvenile court system, or were homeless before finding themselves on the path to a university education.

The Smith Society brings these students together with a volunteer network of mentors and others who actively care about their well-being and growth. From scholarships and internships to weekly luncheons and group celebrations, the society’s donor-funded programs open doors to a world of opportunity and possibility.

The intergenerational connections and friendships formed in the Smith Society are often life changing—for our students and those who care about them.

mortarboard with colorful butterflies and the word "success"

The Page and Eloise Smith Scholastic Society is inspired by the caring spirit and campus leadership the Smiths brought to the founding of UC Santa Cruz.

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