A Letter From UCLA Latino Alumni Association President Cesar Pacheco '18
Dear Latino Bruins,
According to statistics gathered by the UC Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association, this year, there were over 10,000 statewide UC Latinx graduates! Join us in welcoming the Class of 2022 to our Alumni Association.
Go Bruins!
Cesar Pacheco Garcia '18
2022 President
Top Stories
Recap of 2022 Spark Campaign
Thanks to the contributions of volunteers, alumni, friends and colleagues, we continue to award impactful scholarships to students who will become leaders in our community. Our fundraising efforts and your giving do not go unnoticed as we managed to raise $29,695 in just 30 days. We aspire to provide significant support for our future scholars and community leaders. Latino students make up 21% of freshmen and 23% of transfer students at UCLA, which has announced its goal to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025.
Our scholarship provides financial resources, allowing students to immerse themselves at UCLA completely, and fosters a welcoming and supportive environment for Latino/Latina students. In addition, our scholars join the ULAA network, which provides mentorship, networking and career-building programs to help our future community leaders prepare for life beyond UCLA.
By supporting the UCLA Latino Alumni Association Scholarship, you're ensuring that our best and brightest students can attend and thrive at UCLA, no matter their financial circumstances. Our 2022 Spark Campaign ended on June 9, but if you’d like to support our scholarship fund, please consider making a gift.
Visit the 2022 Spark Campaign website to learn more about how our scholarship fund makes a difference in the academic journey of our scholarship recipients.
Recap ULAA Hike with Stanford Latino Alumni in Temescal Canyon
On June 25, our alumni made new friends and walked away feeling a sense of community among our alumni groups. The conversations during the hike were real and the views on top were amazing. We look forward to seeing you at our next two hikes. Stay tuned to our newsletter and Instagram for updates.
Recap: APA, ULAA and BP Happy Hour
On June 25, we hosted the first ever Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, Bruin Professionals and UCLA Latino Alumni networking event. Our alumni made new connections, reconnected with friends and left Common Space Brewery feeling a sense of community among our alumni groups. If you missed the opportunity to attend this networking event, don't worry; we'll have another one in the future.
2020-21 Board of Directors Accomplishments
Secretary: Carlos Almendárez, J.D. '17
During his two one-year terms, Almendárez implemented a 10-minute timer for each board member report. This helped the board run efficient meetings. He also did a great job of sending out agenda requests and Zoom meeting details prior to the board meeting.
Membership Chair: Mariana Vega '16
During her one-year term, Vega helped host Dinner for 12 Strangers and assisted during our in-person, "How to Negotiate Your Salary" panel.
Finance Chair: Jennifer Mora '96
During her one-year term, Mora led the finance committee in successfully raising approximately $60,000, as well as other campaigns. She has done a great job of leading the finance committee.
University Relations: Sylvia Robledo '07
During her one-year term, Robledo hosted three career panels designed to introduce students to potential careers and alumni working in those fields.
Scholarship Co-Chairs: Andy Galan '16 and Magali Limeta '12
Galan and Limeta managed to successfully relaunch the 2022 OrgullOSO mentorship program and have formed a great scholarship committee.
Treasurer: Antonio Arellano, MBA '17
Arellano did a great job of gathering ULAA financial data and assisting the finance committee during the 2022 Spark Campaign. He created the ULAA Q3 2021-2022 Financial Review, which will help guide the president and incoming board in making financial decisions.
Community Relations: Nicki Beltranena '02
Beltranena managed social media outlets and prepared the UCLA Latino Alumni newsletters in a timely manner. In addition, she created flyers and managed the UCLAlatino.com website.
Statewide UC CLAA Meeting Hosted by UC Davis Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association on June 18
On Saturday, Cesar Pacheco and Jennifer Mora represented our UCLA Latino Alumni Association at the statewide UC CLAA. “To be in community with UC Latina/o alumni who paved the way for today’s Latinx students is inspiring and a reminder there is more work to be done. Only 25% of UC-enrolled students are Latinx, yet we represent 39% of California’s population as the largest racial/ethnic group.” — Jennifer Mora, Finance Chair.
Join us in congratulating Katya Echazarreta, 26, for becoming the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. Echazarreta is an electrical engineer and currently a science show co-host of the Netflix YouTube series “Netflix IRL.” Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, she has overcome countless barriers that many immigrants face and continues to use her experiences as a driving force for motivation, which has led her to becoming an excellent student and resilient professional. Her accomplishments have proven to be out of this world (literally!).
Upcoming Events
Save the Date: UCLA Latino Alumni Association’s New Bruin Send-offs
The UCLA Latino Alumni Association is honored to host the New Bruin Send-off Celebration to welcome local incoming students and families into the Bruin family. Join us this summer for a casual celebratory gathering that brings together students, parents and alumni — an important first step to students’ success in college. This is a great opportunity for students and their families to immerse themselves in the UCLA community, network with peers and ask questions, and share the excitement of joining the Bruin family.
Cost: Free
Date: Aug. 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: TBA
Job Opportunities
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.
What Is the Purpose of the UCLA Latino Alumni Association?
We are a volunteer-driven organization whose mission is to organize alumni, family and friends for the benefit and advancement of the Latino community and our alma mater. Through our activities and programs, ULAA provides opportunities for alumni to connect, scholarships and mentors to help UCLA Latino students succeed and advocacy that promotes the recruitment and success of UCLA Latino students, faculty and staff.
Join a ULAA Committee Meeting
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 '12.
Membership — Joining this committee is a great way to help ULAA keep alumni engaged and introduce alumni to ULAA. It 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 '16.
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. The committee is led by Nicki Beltranena '02.
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 — This committee is 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 '07.
If you’re interested in volunteering on a committee, please email us at: latino@alumni.ucla.edu
UCLA ONE
Looking for ways to volunteer virtually? 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.
