On behalf of our entire board, thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate UCLA's 100th birthday! We have had many successful and well-attended events during the first half of the year, and are looking forward to hosting more events in the next few months.
To stay up-to-date on our latest events, keep an eye on your inboxes and social media. If you’ve ever considered getting more involved with the board as a volunteer or board member, helping to cultivate the next generation of LGBTQ+ Bruin leaders, there’s no better time than the present.
Email us at lambda@alumni.ucla.edu and read about our upcoming events and opportunities below. To learn more about UCLA's Centennial year, visit 100.ucla.edu.
Go Bruins,
Kaya Foster ’10 & Devon Dickau ’07, MBA ’15
Co-Chairs, UCLA Lambda LGBTQ Alumni Association
New Bruin Send-off
Sunday, July 21
2 - 4 p.m.
Join us at the beautiful home of Doug Aoyama ’98 in the Los Feliz Hills for our annual New Bruin Send-off. Guest speakers Ana Romero '04, M.A. '17, and Todd Sargent '96 will also be joining us. This fun and laid-back event is a chance for new students and their families to engage with the LGBTQ+ Bruin community before they begin classes in the fall.
Ana Romero is a doctoral student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change Program at UCLA. Her research interests include access and retention of underrepresented and marginalized student populations and campus climate for students and staff. She recently became a board member for the UCLA Lambda Alumni Association.
Todd Sargent is a senior manager of organization development at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. In this role, he leads a team that solves complex organizational challenges and implements innovative change strategies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the UCLA Alumni Association.
Featured Scholar
Divya Prajapati '19 B.S., Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology
Divya Prajapati is this year's Bradley G. Wilde - Lambda Alumni Association Distinguished Senior Award scholarship winner. This scholarship is awarded to a UCLA senior who has shown deep commitment to the Bruin LGBTQ+ community.
Prajapati graduated with a degree in molecular, cell, and developmental biology (MCDB) and global health. While at UCLA, Prajapati has “enjoyed meeting and working with diverse individuals, from my peers of international backgrounds to homeless clients at local soup kitchens to our clinic patients in Tijuana, Mexico.” She has worked her way up to being CEO of FISH, a student run organization which provides English lessons, health screenings and health education in Mexico.
One of the many reasons Prajapati was selected for the scholarship is her commitment to social justice. She explains, “Along the way, I have learned about how different groups may struggle to gain socioeconomic and educational equity, respect and acceptance - and how I can leverage my skill set to empower these communities.”
As an attendee at various Lambda events, Prajapati has been eager to absorb the many benefits of a Bruin education. “I have also valued how much UCLA emphasizes and celebrates diversity and inclusion on campus, and I intend to carry these values forward into medical school and my community health work next year. I hope to sensitively and holistically address global and local health inequities as a future physician.”
Congratulations Divya!
Spring Highlights
Over 100 people attended our annual Lambda Alumni Gala, where we honored Alumna of the Year Sheila Kuehl ‘62 and Recent Alumna of the Year Natasha Case, M.A., ’08. More than $12,000 in LGBTQ+ scholarships were raised.
Lambda hosted dinners during UCLA’s Pride Admit Weekend, where prospective freshmen and transfer LGBTQ+ students attended student-led yield events overnight to help them connect to campus resources, current students, and alumni. This was the first year a yield event was held for transfer students.
On UCLA Alumni Day, we hosted a session on UCLA’s incredible LGBTQ+ history with university archivist at the UCLA Library Heather Briston, director of the UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center Andy Cofino and Lambda co-founder Corinne Lightweaver ’85.
We are excited to announce that Lambda has officially launched in the Bay Area, hosting its first two events - a launch mixer and a pride month drag brunch event at The Lookout Bar in San Francisco.
Congratulations to our recent graduating seniors who were presented at a pre-ceremony reception at Lavender Graduation. Thank you to UCLA Board Member Eric Shaw ’98 for being this year’s keynote speaker.
Save The Date
UCLA Volunteer Day
Saturday, Sept. 28
HRC & UCLA Host Presidential Candidates Forum Thursday, Oct. 10
Current Profession: Doctoral Student in Higher Education and Organizational Change (HEOC) at UCLA.
Favorite UCLA Memory: Being a resident assistant in DeNeve and spending many moments welcoming and talking to residents.
Erin Jackson-Ward '12
Current Profession: Healthcare Philanthropy, Cedars-Sinai.
Favorite UCLA Memory: Expanding the Dance Marathon beneficiaries to include UCLA AIDS Institute in order to help support research in our own college backyard.
Jonathan Wilson, MBA '08
Current Profession: Entrepreneur, Management Consultant.
Favorite UCLA Memory: Going to Italy for our dissertation program (Anderson GAP). So much fun.
About Us
UCLA Lambda Alumni Association was founded in 1989 by Doug Walters and Corinne Lightweaver and is one of the oldest and most well-established LGBTQ+ alumni organizations in the country. Led by a dedicated group of LGBTQ+ alumni volunteers, Lambda sustains a network of LGBTQ+ alumni and friends to support one another, UCLA students and the greater LGBTQ+ community.
How You Can Support
Lambda’s success depends on the generous philanthropic support of alumni and friends like you! Please click here to learn more about our scholarship programs and how your contribution to Lambda makes an impact. Visit our giving site at giving.ucla.edu/lambda.
Visit the LGBT Center
You are always welcome to visit the UCLA LGBT Resource Center to see our 4000+ volume Rae Lee Siporin LGBT Library, our David Bohnett Cyber Center and the 1600 square foot home to our LGBTQ students at UCLA.
For more information about how to get involved, please contact us at lambda@alumni.ucla.edu.
Membership gives you access to UCLA and funds Alumni Association programs for more than 500,000 Bruins worldwide.
You are receiving this email because you have attended or expressed interest in the events and programs of UCLA Lambda Alumni Association or have self-identified as a Lavender Graduation participant.