Alex Goodman ’11, Lauren (Roberts) Sharp ’12, Maryia Krivoruchko ’11 and Sammie Suchland ’12, assistant A&E editors, live-tweeting the Oscars
Forgive me if I start off with a cliché, but I believe it’s true: like so many of us, I “majored” in The Bruin. For me, this chosen “major” meant that I poured my energy and focus every Sunday into the Daily Bruin office. I worked harder on those giant desktop computers in that irreplaceable, windowless office than I did in any course.
In return for my diligent efforts, The Bruin mentored me in leadership, by trusting me with a new magazine called Prime and a staff of talented writers and assistant editors. It coached me in humility and attention to detail, as when an A&E reader commented that I omitted the word “sugar” in my cooking column recipe and ruined their pumpkin pie (and also their day!). For the past year, it’s been my privilege to give back in a small way, as the chair of the DBAN Mentoring Committee.
I remain amazed at the resiliency of the student staffers in this challenging year, and of the alumni who have come together to offer their support. On the day last spring that UCLA announced classes were going remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I hosted an in-person résumé student workshop; staffers persevered to attend for their post-graduation job search. In October, Los Angeles Times Acting Food EditorAlice Short ’77, writer and editor Laureen Lazarovici ’89, and Los Angeles Times Metro reporter Alejanda Reyes-Velarde ’17 hosted a virtual, interactive, story-telling workshop that inspired dozens of attendees to pitch a better story. Winter 2021 will see a personal- and career-branding workshop; a design and graphics workshop for spring 2021 is also slated.
If you are looking for a way to give back and mentor others as that magical office once mentored you, please consider joining the DBAN Mentoring Committee and hosting a workshop. I would love to connect with you.
Maryia Krivoruchko ’11,
On behalf of the Daily Bruin Alumni Network Board
Catching Up (Virtually)
DBAN Virtual Reunion
This year, DBAN held its third annual reunion, virtually, featuring the “State of the Bruin” panel where The Bruin’s current managing team updated alumni on how the Daily Bruin is publishing in these unprecedented times. The panel, hosted by Dallas Morning News reporter and former Daily Bruin editor in chief, James Barragán, covered everything from readership to recruitment to expanding content in an increasingly digital world. To view the recording of the virtual reunion, click here.
Art of Storytelling
Also in October, students at the “Art of Storytelling” workshop had the opportunity to run story pitches and ideas by Los Angeles Times Acting Food Editor Alice Short ’77, L.A. Times staff writer Alejandra Reyes-Velarde ’17 and Laureen Lazarovici ’89, managing editor at the Kaiser Permanente Labor Management Partnership Communications Department. Reyes-Velarde also explained her approach to stories she’s written, including a feature on a Highland Park elotero and another on workers at the troubled Santa Anita racetrack.
Scholarship Winners
The Daily Bruin Alumni Network had the pleasure of awarding its second annual scholarship to a group of impressive Daily Bruin staffers. This year, five students were awarded $2,000 each to help bolster their careers in media, journalism or related fields.
Sam Cannon is a senior staffer for sports. He led the section as sports editor in 2019-2020 and was previously an assistant sports editor covering the baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats.
Olivia Fitzmorris, a senior staffer for the blogging section, previously helped lead the section as assistant blogging editor from 2019-2020. She also served as a slot editor for the copy section from 2018-2019. After graduation, she plans to pursue creative marketing opportunities as well as professional writing opportunities for news and lifestyle publications.
Cassidy Hunt is a sports staff reporter who has covered swim & dive, women’s water polo, women’s soccer, and gymnastics, and three national championships during her time at UCLA. She plans to pursue a graduate degree before working in sports media after college.
Lena Nguyen started her time at the Daily Bruin in the opinion section and served as assistant opinion editor from 2019-2020. She is currently leading the social media team. She plans on attending law school and pursuing a career in public affairs, where she hopes to use her experience to communicate policy to the public.
Julia Shapero joined the Daily Bruin as a reporter on the national news and higher education beat. She rose to assistant news editor for the beat in 2018 and stayed in the position for two years. She is now a senior staffer for news and plans to pursue a master’s in journalism and a job as a reporter after graduating.
Fundraising Update
Our second annualDaily Bruin scholarship fundraiser concluded the night of the DBAN Virtual Reunion, and we are very pleased to announce that we not only met our $10,000 annual goal, but beat it — with a little over $13,000 raised.
The DBAN Board would like to acknowledge Cari Champion ’98, Robina Riccitiello ’84 and Gary Knell ’75 for their leadership in our first-ever donation challenges. Champion, the 2018 Distinguished DB Alumna, led off with a $1,000 donation match that caught the attention of the UCLA athletic director and women’s basketball coach. Then it was the board’s turn, and you made us pay to the tune of $2,700 (the rally cry of #MakeLarryPay was born to pressure board President Lawrence Ma). Knell, the 2019 Distinguished DB Alumnus, stepped up to close us out with a final challenge that raised another $2,100.
In the middle of a pandemic, with all of its accompanying worries, financially and otherwise, you have come through big time. We are truly humbled by and grateful for your tremendous support and generosity.
The Board would also like to thank Marilyn Chavez-Martinez, the Daily Bruin outreach director, as well as Ben Brill, DB Graphics editor, Callista Wu, DB Design editor, and the rest of the Daily Bruin social media, design and graphics teams, for their outstanding coordination and work in support of this year’s successful fundraising campaign.
Give Back
Interested in reading the Daily Bruin and helping current students? Sign up to critique one day of the Daily Bruin’s online coverage. It doesn’t take long and is a fun way to reconnect. You’ll get a reminder email with more details the weekend before your slot.
The DBAN Board is looking for more alumni to join our ranks and help bring alumni together in the new year. Be a part of building a solid foundation for our network and improving upon our initiatives in giving, networking and mentoring.
Of particular need this year is a board member capable of coordinating and taking our social media platforms and online presence to the next level. DBAN will only be as good as our collective effort as alumni volunteers, so join us, reconnect and give a little something back to The Daily Bruin, fellow alumni and current staffers! Please contact Lawrence Ma with any and all questions, suggestions and expressions of interest.
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