Blue and gold always reign supreme at meetings of the University of California Board of Regents, but the Sept. 18-19 meeting boasted a little more gold than usual, as UC Olympians and Paralympians were invited to share their reflections on the Summer Games in Paris and honored by the Board.

The Regents and the public heard from eight UC athletes: paracyclist Hannah Chadwick, water polo players Sienna Green, Johnny Hooper and Tara Prentice, track and field athletes Leo Merle and Camryn Rogers, swimmer Gizem Guvenc, and Joanna Hayes, who won gold in the hurdles in Athens in 2004 and is now UCLA's director of track and field/cross-country.

UC athletes had a remarkable summer in Paris: 103 Olympians, representing five UC campuses, competed in 27 sports. The medal haul they brought back- 11 gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals -would have made UC the 11th-most successful nation in the world if it were a country. Four Paralympians, including Chadwick and Merle, competed in Paris as well, with UC Berkeley student Noah Jaffe '25 winning silver and bronze for Team USA in men's swimming.

Silver medalist and UC Berkeley student Noah Jaffe of Team United States, left, poses with gold medalist Callum Simpson of Team Australia and bronze medalist Alberto Amodeo of Team Italy for a photo during the Para Swimming Men's 100m Freestyle S8 Medal Ceremony on day nine of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Paris La Defense Arena on September 06, 2024 in Nanterre, France. Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

"We are very proud of all the athletes, coaches, and staff who participated and supported our UC competitors," UC President Michael V. Drake said. Athletes' remarks ranged from delight at the quality of baked goods in Paris to the life-changing impact of competing on the world stage - and how a UC education made so much of their achievements and self-belief possible.

"When I entered UC Irvine, both my parents had never even gone to college, and I didn't know what I wanted to achieve in college," Tara Prentice, UC Irvine alumna and water polo player, said. "I ended up leaving with two master's and two undergraduate degrees. I don't say that to say, 'Look at me,' but when you put yourself in such positive environments and allow yourself to be a dreamer and let yourself be inspired by those around you, they really can see something in you that you potentially don't see in yourself. That's the greatest gift the UC system, and especially UC Irvine, gave to me."

"Chancellor [Howard] Gillman is almost jumping out of his seat, beaming with pride," Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly said, smiling.

Watch the session from Sept. 19 above. Credit: University of California Board of Regents

Camryn Rogers, a UC Berkeley gold medalist in hammer throw and one of the most dominant collegiate hammer throwers in history, also spoke about how a UC education set her up to achieve her athletic goals as well as a lifetime of future success. "If you come to Cal, your life will change in ways you never even thought were possible," she recounted a future coach telling her.

Rogers, struggling with imposter syndrome, overcame her fears and embraced the opportunity, staying busy as an athlete, student worker and a multiple degree earner. "Attending such an academically rigorous school teaches you so many life skills," she said. Rogers represented Canada in the Summer Games, but when she carries her nation's flag around the world, she still hears shouts of "Go Bears!" she said, laughing. "It was just such a magical feeling to see the UC network and the Cal family extend all over the world. I've had that experience on different continents now, and it's so amazing. So much of Cal prepared me for that."