UC Merced administrators celebrate fundraising success with kayak race

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Administrators at UC Merced celebrated hitting their fundraising goals by hitting the water for a kayak ride on Friday.

Six officials, including the deans of three schools, participated in a race on Little Lake. It's one of the things they promised to do, if students were able to reach their fundraising goal of $10,000.

As part of Friday's fun, participants got dressed up for the special occasion. One of the deans even wore a Hello Kitty cap.

Friday's winner, School of Natural Sciences Dean Juan Meza, appropriately had on a lab coat and goggles. He explained why it was so important for him to win.

"It's really important to me. I mean this is bragging rights for an entire year," said Meza.

Through their fundraising efforts, they surpassed their goal of $10,000. More than $20,000 was raised for scholarships.