Striking paintings by Taneen Jafarkhani ’08 adorned the walls, music hand-selected by Elizabeth Kozlov ’14 pulsed from a sound system provided by Austin Quan ’13, and dancers Emily Yetter ’10 and Dara Bruce (U.C. Irvine ’10) performed remarkable feats of athleticism on stage. UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs’ second Mixin’ It Up event at LA Art Walk was a truly captivating experience for all alumni and guests in attendance. On Thursday, March 12 more than 200 alumni came out to a historic bank building in Downtown Los Angeles for an evening of art and dialogue.

There was a distinct energy to the room, the event and the community that came out to mix and mingle amidst the artistic contributions of fellow alumni. One attendee remarked that UCLA Alumni Affairs had taken the traditional networking event and “reinvented it as an avant-garde journey into new territory.” Patricia Châu Nguyễn, the senior director of UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs, and her team demonstrated their continued “commitment to further engage a progressively diverse alumni community.”

Other artistic contributions were made by Bruins Marika Stephens ’09, Caitlin Ferrell (Projected ’15) and Sohail Najafi, and alumni enjoyed the opportunity to engage with a variety of artistic media that explored the concepts of power, diversity, equality and equity. Another attendee, and U.C. Irvine alumnus, who has been to many alumni events over the years, commented that “Mixin’ It Up felt like a metamorphosis from the typical alumni events” that he had attended and felt inspired by the experience. One could sense a similar energy and excitement in the conversations and exchanges that were happening throughout the gallery over the course of the night.

Nguyễn remarked that it was “inspiring to see a group of young alumni come together to create such a powerful experience.” Their stimulating art included “deconstructing a traditional Catholic confessional booth, an interactive performance piece that made you reflect on how you would treat a woman if you had no boundaries and paradigm-shifting performances from two pole artists.” Nguyễn concluded saying, “I can confidently say that thoughts were provoked, interactions were meaningful and Bruins were empowered.”

Maurice Dawkins ’75 was moved by the experience and complimented Nguyễn and the UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs Team saying, “you and your team have done it again. Keep up the good work!” Feeling truly engaged by the event, he mentioned “my only regret was that I didn't stay for the after party and pick the artists’ minds.”

Throughout the year, UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs host a number of events and opportunities for all alumni to learn, connect and engage in dialogue, including the Mixin’ It Up series and their new educational web series “Empower Hour.” They also help coordinate and support various alumni networks, including the American Indian Alumni of UCLA, Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, Lambda (LGBT) Alumni Association, UCLA Muslim Alumni Association, UCLA Black Alumni Association, UCLA Latino Alumni Network and UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association. To learn more and get involved, visit alumni.ucla.edu/diversity.