Professor Natasha Synycia is more than just a humanities teacher—she is a role model, a mentor, and a friend for countless students who have passed through her classroom. At a time when students are navigating complex social and personal challenges, she offers not only academic guidance but emotional support that many of us carry well beyond her classroom. To lose her due to budget cuts would be a greater loss than we believe UCI knows. It's a shame not only to current and future students but to the very mission of education itself: to develop well-rounded, thoughtful human beings who think of other people and treat every student as one of their own children who is there to be a kind ear. Retaining Natasha is an investment in the heart of our school community, and UCI would not be the same without her, as she is shaping lives daily and is what makes this school a top 10 university.

Cutting Humanities Core would be a major setback for UCI, removing a program that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and exploration across disciplines—key aspects of a well-rounded education. The Humanities Core writing program, in particular, is foundational to UCI’s mission, pushing students to engage with complex texts, develop compelling arguments, and find their voice as writers and thinkers. It builds the very skills employers, graduate programs, and communities say they need most—communication, reflection, and ethical reasoning.

College should be about more than just numbers; it should challenge how we think and who we become. Professors like Natasha are central to that mission. She has inspired and supported countless students, shaping not just their academics but their lives.

Signing this petition means standing up for the educators who make learning exciting again and preserving what truly makes our education at UCI meaningful.