UC San Diego alumnus, Chancellor’s Medal recipient and biotech industry leader David Goeddel ’72 and his wife Alena are longtime supporters of the student experience and leading-edge research in the biological sciences. In 2022, the couple donated $7.5 million to UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences in support of the Goeddel Family Technology Sandbox, with the goal of increasing access to expertise and cutting-edge technologies that accelerate collaboration, discovery, technology transfer, workforce development and data analytics.
This generous gift also established the Goeddel Family Athletic Scholarship Endowment, providing scholarship support for undergraduate Triton scholar-athletes on a UC San Diego Athletics team, with a preference for those majoring in the biological sciences. “As a former tennis player at UC San Diego and a father of athletes, I am pleased to provide support for scholar-athletes, especially as UC San Diego has made the move to Division I,” said Goeddel. The scholarship gift was amplified by a match from the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Scholarship, Graduate Fellowship and Health-Related Professional School Scholarship Challenge.
Athletic scholarships at UC San Diego help provide opportunity and access for scholar-athletes from all backgrounds. UC San Diego Athletics Director Emeritus, Earl W. Edwards, said, “Scholar-athletes at UC San Diego excel in the classroom, in competition and in the community. This gift will help continue the transformation of Triton athletics into a top NCAA Division I athletics program on and off the field.
In 2024-25, two scholar-athletes on the women’s water polo team were awarded the Goeddel Family Athletic Scholarship:
Abigail Schechter is in her second year, majoring in human biology. Last year, she scored her first career goal vs. Ottawa (1/20) in her first career game and scored two goals in all three games at San Diego State’s Aztec Invitational.
Courtney Okumura is a fourth-year student majoring in human biology with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. She is a three-time ACWPC All-Academic honoree (2022, 2023, 2024) and Big West Spring Academic All-Conference selection (2023, 2024, 2025). She was also named to the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2023.
