A Letter From UCLA Latino Alumni Association President Cesar Pacheco Garcia '18
Dear Alumni and Friends,
It’s me again, Cesar Pacheco. Today I share with you exciting updates about how we are supporting students on campus, ULAA’s financial impact and the ways we are engaging with our alumni.
Our OrgullOSO Mentor Program, which aims to create meaningful relationships by pairing students who identify as Hispanic/Latina/Latino/Latinx with our volunteer Latino alumni, has received 167 student applications and 208 mentor applications, for a total of 375 applications this academic year. In this program, not only do we connect mentors and students, but we also connect alumni from different generations. Together, as a community, we create space for UCLA alumni, family and friends to connect for the benefit and advancement of the Latino community.
I’d also like to update you about the impact ULAA has made with scholarships. We recently gave thanks to our donors through a series of emails, social media graphics and videos where we heard real stories from former scholars about how ULAA’s scholarship made a difference in their education. ULAA has been awarding scholarships since 1991, and it is only with the support of our alumni that we are able to do so.
Looking forward, my goal is to double the current value of ULAA’s scholarship endowment. If you or your company are interested in making this happen, through donations, events, volunteering, lending your skills, etc., please reach out to us at latino@alumni.ucla.edu.
In the meantime, I encourage you to engage with us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, and continue reading our monthly newsletters. You can even find us on LinkedIn!
Go Bruins!
Cesar Pacheco Garcia '18
2022 President
Top Stories
Show the Love Campaign
The Finance Committee launched ULAA’s inaugural Show the Love campaign! The purpose was simple: to say "Thank you!" or "Muchas gracias!" to each and every one of our donors. Whether you donated recently or years ago, you've uplifted our mission to advance our community, especially our students, to succeed. Because of that — and Valentine's Day — we want to show you some love! Check out our social media channels and your email inbox for the ways we are showing our love — for you!
Correction of statement in the “Fundraising Update” section of the January 2022 newsletter
In our previous newsletter we incorrectly stated that ULAA has been awarding scholarship since 2003. ULAA has been awarding scholarships to Latino and Latina students since 1991!
We are working with the UCLA Scholarships office to assemble a proper history of the scholarships that ULAA has awarded. If you are a past board member, treasurer or scholarship chair, please email us at latino@alumni.ucla.edu to share your historical insights of the organization.
Celebrating Black History Month
While we recognize our Black Bruins year-round, this is an opportunity to amplify their voices more broadly. And as we all know, representation matters for our community! This month we were orgulloso to highlight two of our Afro-Latino Bruins: Matthew J. Sánchez '17 and Brie Ortega, M.S.W. '14.
Matthew J. Sánchez '17
Sánchez is a Southern California native motivated to create products with purpose and establish a legacy. Self-taught in perfumery, then becoming a perfumer's apprentice, in October 2017 Sánchez became America's youngest Black male perfumer and youngest Latino perfumer. His entrepreneurial spirit and gravitation toward international exploration came naturally to him in his childhood. The son of a Mexican father and Ghanaian-American mother, he is a product of — and entirely captivated by — globalization and multiculturalism.
Sánchez currently works as a design & product manager in the banking tech industry. He holds a B.S. in applied mathematics with minors in global studies and entrepreneurship.
Ortega is a passionate advocate for work and quality-of-life equity. Her experiences as a former foster youth, Black daughter of a single, Mexican immigrant father, and Great Recession graduate™ make her no stranger to challenges, creativity and unexpected detours.
While in her earliest jobs she sold and collected sneakers, her professional journey has primarily focused on non-profit and higher education roles in counseling, career coaching and program leadership.
Because Ortega is also passionate about closing the wealth gap and creating pipelines of access, she next wants to break into tech!
Join the UCLA Latino Alumni Association (ULAA) and the Stanford Latino Alumni Association of Southern California (SLAA-SoCal) for a fun outdoor hike! It will be a great way to meet other Bruins, connect with other local like-minded Latinos, and meet some of our board and committee members.
Saturday, March 19
8:45 a.m. (PST)
Eaton Canyon
1750 N. Altadena Drive
Pasadena, CA 91107
ULAA Career Training: How to Negotiate Your Salary
Please join us at our career training to discuss the difficult conversations around salary negotiation, the impact it can have on your lifelong earning potential, and strategies to advocate for yourself and your career growth.
This event is open to all UCLA alumni, faculty, staff, community members and friends.
Wednesday, April 13
6:30 – 8 p.m. (PDT)
UCLA James West Alumni Center
325 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
More About Our Featured Speaker: Angélica S. Gutiérrez '00, Cert. '06, Ph.D. '12
Angélica S. Gutiérrez '00, Cert. '06, Ph.D. '12, earned her B.A. in political science and sociology with honors; her M.P.P. at the University of Michigan; and her doctorate in management at UCLA Anderson, where she also earned a certficate in the Riordan Program. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Institutional Diversity and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Recognized as one of the “World’s Best 40 Under 40 Business Professors,” Dr. Gutiérrez teaches Leadership, Negotiations and Diversity Management at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Loyola Marymount University, and is the director of the Master of Science in Management program. Additionally, she is a contributor for Inc. Magazine and writes articles on diversity, minority businesses, negotiations and impostor syndrome.
Dr. Gutiérrez has presented her research on diversity and impostor syndrome at national and regional academic conferences, and for organizations in the nonprofit, public and private sectors, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Mattel and universities across the nation.
Consistent with her commitment to reducing gender and racial pay disparities, Dr. Gutiérrez also teaches employment negotiations to organizations that serve minoritized groups, including National Latina Women Business Association, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Women in Tech.
Job Opportunities
As an organization with over 40,000 members, we hope to support our alumni looking for employment. If you're looking to recruit UCLA Latino alumni at your company, please send job descriptions and your contact information to latino@alumni.ucla.edu. The UCLA Latino Alumni Association believes in the advancement of the Latino community and strives to create meaningful professional and social connections.
UCLA LPPI is hiring a data-savvy research analyst to manage the soon-to-be-launched Latino Data Hub. This is a hybrid remote/in-person position with an expected salary range between $61,000 and $91,000, and full University of California benefits.
UCLA LPPI seeks a strategic leader to serve as Deputy Director. UCLA LPPI addresses the most critical domestic policy challenges facing Latinos and other communities of color through research, advocacy, mobilization and leadership development to propel policy reforms that expand genuine opportunity for all Americans. This role requires a person with the strategic acumen and intellectual ability to advance sophisticated initiatives, exceptional project management and execution skills and the interpersonal savvy to motivate and retain a cross-functional team for a dynamic and fast-paced research enterprise.
It’s through the great work of volunteers that the UCLA Latino Alumni Association is able to thrive. Through volunteering, you can connect with other alumni who also have a passion for giving back to their alma mater and the Latino community.
If you’re ready to become a volunteer, please join a committee by expressing your interest to us at latino@alumni.ucla.edu. Committees meet virtually once a month. Please see a description of each committee below.
Scholarship — The scholarship committee is a great way to assist ULAA in organizing events and programs that directly benefit ULAA scholarship recipients and students who are looking for general mentorship. You’ll be a strong asset to the committee if you have a passion for making an impact in students' lives, are adept at gathering large groups of people and have the ability to oversee all phases of a project. This committee is led by Andy Galan and Magali Limeta.
Membership — Joining this committee is a great way to help ULAA keep alumni engaged and introduce alumni to ULAA. This committee is perfect for alumni who enjoy planning events, meeting other bruins and introducing our organization to new members. This committee is led by Mariana Vega.
Community Relations — Responsible for public and media relations, as well as promotional activities involving ULAA. This committee manages our social media and prepares our monthly newsletter. Community Relations seeks volunteers who have experience creating graphics, copy and engaging content, as well as social media strategists. This committee is led by Nicki Beltranena.
Finance — Joining the finance committee is a great way to support our fundraising efforts. You’ll be a strong asset to the committee if you have a passion for giving back and experience with fundraising and email campaigns. The committee currently has members who work in finance, development and nonprofits. It is led by Jennifer Mora and all members share a strong interest in growing the ULAA scholarship funds.
University Relations — Responsible for recruitment and the success of students, faculty and administrators, and monitoring policies and practices of UCLA. This committee recently hosted a winter career panel and will host another panel in spring. It is led by Sylvia Robledo.
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UCLA ONE
Looking for ways to virtually volunteer? We can use your skills 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.
