Growing up in South Central L.A. meant ditching school, becoming a teen mom, and wrestling with her identity as an Afro-Latina — experiences that made this UCR student want to major in public policy.

Elizabeth Watkins is UC Riverside's new provost and executive vice chancellor. The provost is eager to help raise the profile and funding support for UCR's research enterprise, and to work with its high-achieving students — this past year, UCR set a new six-year graduation rate record — many of whom are first-generation students, and from underrepresented and low-income families.