Slugs & Scones Morning Meet-Up

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UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus
3175 Bowers Ave, Santa Clara

Slugs & Scones Alumni Meet-Up: 

Celebrating Queer Voices

What is "Slugs & Scones"?

As we continue to nurture connections within our alumni community, we're excited to announce the next installment of Slugs and Scones, Morning Meet-Ups. This quarterly event series brings together Silicon Valley alumni, offering opportunities to expand your local network and engage in meaningful conversations around identity, leadership, and growth.

November's Theme: Queer Alumni of Silicon Valley 

This edition of our gathering will celebrate and amplify the voices of our queer alumni in Silicon Valley. Our queer Slugs have been trailblazers across various fields, contributing to the vibrancy and diversity that make Silicon Valley a beacon of innovation and progress.

Join us for a morning of networking, inspiration, and community as we highlight the journeys and achievements of our queer alumni. We are honored to feature Michelle Clark (Merrell, `05), a queer librarian and advocate for safe and affirming spaces and equitable access to information for all. Michelle will share their story and insights into creating a more inclusive and equitable future. Michelle will be joined by fellow alum Joelle Monreal (John R. Lewis, `13), who founded the newly formed queer alumni network QUAC: Queer UCSC Alumni Community. 

Agenda

• 8–9 a.m. | Registration, coffee, light refreshments

• 9–10 a.m. | Welcome and Introduction, Speaker (6–8 minutes), Q&A, In-Person Mingling 

​Michelle Clark (Merrill, ‘05; they/she), is a Senior Librarian at San Jose Public Library. A proud queer librarian, they are committed to creating safe and affirming spaces and programming and ensuring equitable access to information for all. In addition to managing the Biblioteca Latinoamericana and Rose Garden Branch Libraries, they co-lead SJPL's LGBTQ+ Working Group, an internal team focused on developing system-wide LGBTQ+ programming and sustaining safe and welcoming work environments for LGBTQ+ identifying library staff. Michelle also co-leads SJPL's Trauma Informed and Resilience Oriented Care (TIROC) Team, bringing a commitment to applying trauma-informed and healing-centered practices to library work. With nearly a decade of experience in public libraries, they excel at navigating ambiguous environments amidst industry and political change. Outside of work, Michelle can often be found with their nose buried in a book or replaying their favorite video game.

Michelle will be introduced by QUAC founder Joelle Monreal 

Joelle Monreal (John R. Lewis, `13; they/she), is a first-gen UC Santa Cruz grad who is passionate about uplifting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. During her time at UCSC, Joelle was a founding member of ImPower, a youth outreach group that encouraged queer and trans high school students to pursue higher education. They are a social media strategist with extensive experience in non-profit advocacy, from animal rights to education. Joelle currently serves as UC Scout’s Social Media Specialist, working to raise A-G completion rates for underserved California high school students.  Beyond their social media career, Joelle is a self-published poet and founder of the Queer UCSC Alumni Community (QUAC). In their free time, Joelle enjoys boogie boarding, consuming YouTube drama, and cuddling with her rescue dogs, Gertie and Ripley. 

JOIN US

Please register to confirm your attendance. Feel free to arrive in the morning at your leisure. While we've indicated times, your presence, whenever suits you best, is warmly welcomed.

We look forward to seeing you at Slugs and Scones, Morning Meet-ups—Queer Alumni of Silicon Valley Edition.

Our event is a celebration of diversity, bringing together individuals from all walks of life. It is designed for anyone who values inclusivity, open-mindedness, and a sense of community. No matter your background, ethnicity, gender, or beliefs, you are welcome to join us in fostering connections, understanding, and shared experiences.