A Message From UCLA Latino Alumni Association President Janette Palacios '98, M.U.R.P. '01
Welcome to 2021, a year of renewed hope, optimism and moving past this pandemic. Although 2020 was a challenging year of physical distancing and isolation, we adapted and began hosting events digitally — including a blood drive, a hike-sharing campaign, a virtual ugly sweater soirée and many important conversations about inclusion. On top of it all, we were still able to raise money for our endowed scholarship fund and support underserved communities through the Children’s Institute’s Holiday Toy Drive. As we enter the new year, our ULAA board will continue to uplift the Latinx Bruin community while we host you virtually for some fun. We look forward to seeing you.
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected!
Janette Palacios '98, M.U.R.P. '01
2020-2022 President
UCLA Latino Alumni Association
Top Stories
We Are Getting to Work ... With Data
Our University Relations Committee has just compiled the results of our recent ULAA student survey. A total of 661 students (478 undergraduates and 183 graduates) took part in the survey. We are excited to understand how we can better leverage our alumni network to uplift our Bruin scholars.
Some initial insights are that 70 percent of current undergraduate respondents are first-generation college students and 84 percent are U.S.-born as compared to 50 percent of current graduate students who were first-generation undergraduates and are 72 percent U.S.-born.
We learned that 42 percent of undergraduate respondents commute to campus versus 84 percent of graduates. Fifty-four percent of undergraduate participants and 45 percent of graduate participants agreed that alumni panels organized by ULAA were the number one priority event right now to serve our members. We are happy to help!
We know our students are hard workers because we found that 42 percent of undergraduate respondents are working while pursuing their education, with 21 percent working more than one job. Of graduate student respondents, 60 percent are working and 17 percent are working more than one job.
One of our goals at ULAA is to provide scholarship support to help our students work less and focus more on their future. We can’t wait to see what else we discover from their responses!
Bruins Supporting Bruins
Would you like an easy way to support other Latinx Bruins during this unprecedented time? We want to help. In that spirit, let’s create a directory of Latinx Bruin-owned businesses via our Pinterest account, @uclalatinxbruins.
Share your favorite take-out spot, coffee shop or vendor with us. It’s always good to have recommendations and to spend money in the communities you love at the same time. Don’t have Pinterest? Just email us the information and we can make a pin for you! Please send your suggestions to our Community Relations Chair at nickibeltranena@alumni.ucla.edu.
Winter Soirée Raises 1K
In 2020, we adapted to physically distancing ourselves, creating a sense of isolation for many. To offset the loneliness, the UCLA Latino Alumni Association hosted the annual ULAA Ugly Sweater Soirée & Toy Drive virtually via Zoom. At the soirée, DJ Chicho played Latin music, emceed the event and hosted three fun holiday games! That evening, we forgot about our worries momentarily and enjoyed a good time in the virtual company of good people.
Over 60 people attended online, and we raised over $1,000 via text with the help of former scholar Andrea Arias '20 and tech company Pledgeling! Check out Andrea's blog post about how she was able to bring her work and UCLA volunteer worlds together!
The UCLA Latino Alumni Association would like to thank all our donors, including those who participated in the Children’s Institute’s annual toy drive. We’d also like to thank the Membership Committee, Finance Committee and DJ Chicho for the success of the soirée.
Upcoming Events
Winter Career Panel — Your Major Does Not Equal Your Career
We will hear from Sofia Beltran, J.D. '17, Andrea Seikaly '13, J.D. '17 and Johana Lockwood '09, three Bruin alumnae working in different fields than their undergraduate majors. Check out our panelist bios here!
Wednesday, Jan. 20
6 – 7:15 p.m.
Zoom
Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing information to join the event virtually.
Do you want to make a difference? You can join a committee if you’d like to get involved. Please contact one of our committee chairs for more information:
UCLA ONE
Looking for ways to virtually volunteer? We can use your skill sets to guide the next generation of professionals! You can join our UCLA ONE Latino Alumni group here.
To indicate you’d like to mentor or network, please click on your profile picture -> Edit Profile -> Click boxes that apply under “Offer/Seek Help” section.
