After 36 years of working in Student Financial Services at UCSF, Executive Director Jerry Lopez is retiring in mid-November.
Jerry started at the front-desk after graduating from college, quickly moved into a Financial Aid Advisor position, then became the Director of Awarding, and eventually lead the office as the Executive Director.
Student Financial Services assists UCSF students with financial aid awards for students who have demonstrated financial need within federal, state, and UCSF policies. The office also supports students with emergency funding and various types of aid including scholarships, loans, and work-study with a budget that totals more than $100 million.
Recently, the University of California Office of the President recognized Jerry and his years of service with the Legacy Award, which celebrates his ”exceptional leadership and vital contributions” to students’ lives and the broader UC community.
Jerry said he will miss his team’s incredible sprit and hard work the most as they are the “financial aid heroes” that support students in financing their education to graduate from UCSF.
In fact, after 36 years, it is estimated that Jerry has been around for more than 27,695 students to have graduated from UCSF.
During his tenure, Jerry said one of his highlights included a 20-year program that he lead called “I’m Going to College”, where UCSF employees worked with elementary schools in San Francisco to get low-income kids interested in college. The program eventually partnered with E.R. Taylor Elementary and Jerry’s team worked with schoolteachers to incorporate college bound information into their fourth-grade curriculum with the goal of planting the seed of going to college at an early age. The program included bringing more than 200 elementary school kids and their teachers in yellow school buses to UCSF with classes being taught to them by dental, medical, nursing, and physical therapy students.
As perfect conclusion to Jerry’s retirement, an “I’m Going to College” fourth grader from many years ago was just admitted to the School of Pharmacy in 2025!
Jerry knows firsthand how being given an opportunity helps with aspirations. As a student at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), he was a work-study student in the financial aid office. As a first-generation student, he received Pell grants to attend college and says that work-study helped give him direction for his career.
Jerry met his partner and now husband of more than 41 years while at UTEP. His partner teaches at UC Berkeley, so the UC system and education is an integral part of their lives.
Jerry would like to thank and extend to all his current and former colleagues, students, and team members at UCSF, a very fond farewell. It was because of them that his 36 years at UCSF, flew by!