Iris Mogul, a first-year Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) major, chose to uproot from Miami, Florida and attend UC Santa Cruz for one main reason: the Visualizing Abolition Studies (VAST) certification. 

VAST is a cross-departmental certificate program under the Humanities Division. The three-class program is focused on challenging existing narratives concerning incarceration and the deconstruction of the prison-industrial complex.

“What got me interested in UCSC was VAST…Plenty of universities have classes on prisons and how prisons are fundamentally racist in history. I don’t know of any other abolition programs,” Mogul said. “To be an abolitionist takes courage, and within an institution like the university it’s really cool that we have that.”

Iris Mogul sits for an interview about her experience in the VAST certification program.

Rebecca Oregel, a fourth-year global and community health major, spoke to the importance of VAST’s prison discourse, especially under the Trump administration. 

“With the ICE detention centers and people randomly disappearing, people need to know this is not the only way to go about it,” she said. “Keeping this program alive is super important if we want to educate people about abolition. This is something that affects people’s lives every day, and this program brings that to light and makes you do something about it.” 

The program began in Spring 2024 and was co-established by Professor Gina Dent, and Director of the Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS), Rachel Nelson. Since the program’s inception, Dent has served as VAST’s program director, as well as the principal investigator for its overarching Visualizing Abolition project. 

“It’s about trying to provide a way for students from any part of UCSC to be able to access a curriculum that can inspire hope, and can help them be part of building a different and more secure world,” Dent said. “A world in which we don’t have to subordinate one person for another to advance. I think that is really at the heart of everything we do, and it’s one of the reasons that the project and the program are so joyful.” 

The Mellon Foundation funded the program, and this includes the VAST curriculum as well as exhibitions, postdoctoral work, graduate student dissertation workshops or research and fellow programs for formerly incarcerated artists. 

VAST is open for any student to receive a certificate after completing 15 units of VAST-affiliated courses within the Humanities, Social Sciences or Arts Divisions. 

The only requirement is the “Introduction to Visualizing Abolition Studies” course (VAST 1/FMST 71), but even that course can be substituted for other work at the IAS, or another course that educates on different ways of thinking about incarceration. 

VAST is not the only program at UCSC challenging incarceration. Dent is the mind behind the “Introduction to Visualizing Abolition Studies,” “Law, Prisons and Popular Culture” and “Women and the Law” courses, among others, through collaboration with the Feminist Studies and Politics departments. 

“Something that makes VAST different from other certificate programs is that VAST is really interactive,” Rebecca Oregel said. “They actively work with prisons. It’s a tangible, actionable program, which is why it’s different.” 

The VAST program goes hand-in-hand with the work pursued at the IAS; together, they solidify the artistic component essential to abolition studies. The IAS hosts exhibitions, social justice initiatives and engages with students taking VAST classes. Many students also engage with Barrios Unidos, a community-based non-profit in Santa Cruz dedicated to prison abolition through their “Prison Project,” a program where participants correspond through letter-writing with those currently incarcerated, among other initiatives. 

“Visions From Within,” is a collaborative exhibition between Barrios Unidios and the IAS running from Nov. 15 to Feb. 28. The exhibit showcases the works of currently and formerly incarcerated artists.

Anthony Alejandrez, exhibition curator and IAS Transitions program coordinator, talks to students in Rachel Nelson’s VAST class. He offers videos and photos compiled during his time in prison as visual aids for students to understand the inside operations of northern California men’s prisons. He also includes personal anecdotes about his experience being incarcerated in his 20s and navigating life outside of prison in his 30s. 

VAST successfully graduated two cohorts of students in 2024 and 2025, with roughly 20 to 30 students each. Graduates of the program have gone into a variety of fields, including the arts, teaching, legal work, the non-profit sector, social work and more. 

The 2024 graduating cohort of VAST students pose for a photo. Photo courtesy of Hayley Sanchez, UCSC alum and the Administrative Assistant at the IAS. 

Students and faculty alike within the program encourage any student, regardless of course of study, to pursue the VAST certificate. The program provides opportunities to not only make a difference in students’ lives, but in the lives of the surrounding communities. 

“Give abolition a chance. It’s well thought out. It’s not this utopian idea,” Mogul said. “Humans aren’t fundamentally wired to cause harm, unlike what the prison system tells us.”