Opening Doors: The Sergio Klor de Alva Memorial Scholarship – UC Santa Cruz – News
Student Experience
After losing her 24-year-old son in 2016, Julie Lawes transformed her grief into mission: creating a memorial scholarship in his name. The Sergio Klor de Alva Memorial Scholarship helps UC Santa Cruz students pursue life-changing experiences—a legacy born from a mother’s love and her son’s keen insights.
By Christy Tall
Sergio Klor de Alva (Porter '14, politics/Latin American studies) and his mom, Julie Lawes (Merrill '85, Latin American studies), at his UCSC commencement ceremony.
When Sergio Klor de Alva (Porter ’14, politics/Latin American studies) returned from his UC Washington Center (UCDC) internship, his mother Julie Lawes noticed a transformation. Her idealistic son had expected the worst from politics—and had instead discovered something that would shape his path forward.
“When he came back from UCDC, he said, ‘ I was surprised at how many people really wanted to do the right thing and wanted to help people and speak up for people,’” Lawes recalls.
That experience became a catalyst for Klor de Alva’s passionate commitment to public service—and one that would ultimately inspire his mother to create lasting change for future UC Santa Cruz students.
The UC Santa Cruz connection runs deep in the Klor de Alva/Lawes family.
Julie Lawes (Merrill ’85, Latin American studies) found her way to the campus almost by accident—admitted on probationary status as a late applicant who wasn’t sure where she wanted to go.
UC Santa Cruz, she says, proved to be “the perfect fit,” offering her something she hadn’t expected: “unprecedented access to faculty who treated undergraduates almost like graduate students.” This intimate academic environment, combined with the freedom to explore diverse subjects from botany to linguistics, shaped her into a lifelong learner and critical thinker.
Today, Lawes channels her diverse experiences and love of learning into her writing career. Under the pseudonym Juliet Blackwell, she has published 30 books spanning mystery series, standalone novels, and historical fiction. Her latest work published in July 2025, Asylum Hotel, is a paranormal mystery set on the Northern California coast.
When it came time for Klor de Alva to choose a university, his mother’s positive experience—along with his father’s graduate work in UC Santa Cruz’s History of Consciousness program—made the campus a natural consideration. Though Klor de Alva looked at universities across the country, his family’s connection and his love for the Bay Area ultimately drew him to the redwoods.
Like his mom, Klor de Alva arrived at UC Santa Cruz uncertain about the direction he wanted to take with his studies.
“I think he was originally a psychology major,” Lawes explains, “but he wound up in sociology and politics. And he really caught the politics bug.”
Once he found his calling, Klor de Alva threw himself into opportunities that would prepare him for a career in public service. He ran for student council, participated in internships with local organizations, and ultimately landed in the UCDC program—the experience that would prove so transformative.
But Klor de Alva possessed a keen awareness that his privilege set him apart.
“He was highly aware that he was able to take unpaid internships because his parents were supporting him,” Lawes remembers. “And he said, ‘How do people take these free positions? Can you work for free as an intern unless you’re already privileged?’”
After graduation, Klor de Alva continued his commitment to public service, working as the volunteer coordinator for Julie Christensen’s San Francisco Supervisor campaign and on other political campaigns in the Bay Area.
Klor de Alva’s future in politics seemed bright until tragedy struck—his life was cut short in 2016 when he was just 24, leaving his mother to carry forward his vision.
After his death, Lawes was determined to honor her son’s insight about the barriers facing students who couldn’t afford unpaid internships.
“When Sergio first died, we tried to set up a nonprofit in his name,” she explains. When that proved too complex to manage, she turned to UC Santa Cruz.
The Sergio Klor de Alva Memorial Scholarship now provides funding for UCDC participants—UC Santa Cruz students who might otherwise be unable to participate in Washington, D.C. internships due to financial constraints. It is awarded to recipients from across all fields of study. Thirteen students have benefited from the scholarship since its inception, and another four students will receive funds in 2025-26.
“This scholarship not only helped cover my time in Washington, D.C., but it also boosts my confidence in continuing to pursue my passion for learning and higher education,” shares Jasmin Fung (John R. Lewis ’25, sociology). “It has transformed my life, allowing me to chase my dreams and contribute to the communities that have shaped who I am today.”
In addition to the current gift scholarship, Lawes has made the generous decision to include the scholarship in her will, ensuring its continuation for future generations.
For Lawes, the scholarship is both a memorial and a mission—a response to the rising cost of higher education.
“Back when I went to [UC] Santa Cruz, it was really doable,” Lawes recalled. “If you had a good job in the summer, you could pretty much pay for your tuition and maybe not all of your room and board, but you could get by. Students can’t do that anymore.”
This reality drives Lawes’s commitment: “Anybody who wants that kind of experience and that kind of knowledge should be able to have access to it.”
She hopes the UCDC experience will provide what it gave her son: practical skills, professional poise, and exposure to diverse perspectives.
Most importantly, she hopes recipients witness what Klor de Alva found: “People who want to do the right thing, help people, and speak up for people.”
Lawes’s decision to support both current students and future generations through her estate planning demonstrates how one person’s vision can create lasting change.
“I feel like I need to be a citizen of the world, and part of that is to use whatever I might have to enable some other students to get more of a shot, to give them a shot at things,” Lawes explains. “And we really need young people to be stepping up, especially now.”
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