A strong community doesn’t emerge by accident. It grows through intention, mentorship and cultivating spaces where people feel seen, valued and invited to lead. In this issue, we highlight Sarah Jakle, M.P.P. '04, founder of DemocraShe, whose UCLA experience helped shape her approach to building confident young women leaders. Her work is a powerful reminder that civic engagement begins long before someone steps into public office; it starts in the everyday moments where we learn to trust our own voices.
Looking back on my own journey, so much of my leadership foundation was shaped by the UCLA communities that took me seriously — sometimes even before I took myself seriously. As an Alumni Scholar, I jumped into service and involvement from day one at UCLA. Events like our annual UCLA Volunteer Day provided a glimpse into how Bruins mobilize for one another and our broader communities. I then began serving on the Student Alumni Association and Homecoming Committee and working as an Alumni Services representative; each of these spaces gave me the chance to design programs, run campuswide events, and connect directly with alumni and students across generations. I learned to navigate complexity, collaborate across teams and lead with clarity — skills I rely on every day in my work supporting our identity-based alumni networks. Like so many Bruins, I continue to find ways to grow through professional development opportunities after graduating, including coursework in project management through UCLA Extension and staying engaged in alumni life through service and programming.
As Bruins, we know how powerful it is when someone says, “You belong here.” DemocraShe embodies that belief, and so does our alumni community. When we make space for emerging leaders — especially young women and those historically overlooked — we strengthen not only our campus, but the broader communities our alumni go on to serve.
I hope this issue encourages you to reflect on the people and programs that shaped you, and to keep investing in the next generation as they are discovering their pathways to leadership at UCLA.
In community,
Alyssa Nevárez ’23
Program Coordinator, Alumni Diversity Programs and Initiatives
diversity digest spotlight
Sarah Jakle, M.P.P. ’04, founded DemocraShe to help young women build confidence and civic leadership skills. Guided by her UCLA Luskin training and early work with unhoused veterans, she blends policy insight with trauma-informed tools that teach girls to manage fear and step into public life with clarity and resilience.
UCLA’s Excelencia Scholars Program is expanding opportunity and fostering belonging for low-income, high-achieving students, in alignment with the goals of the UCLA Hispanic Serving Institution Initiative. With national funding for Minority-Serving Institutions in question, the scholars’ stories show what is at stake and why UCLA’s commitment to “servingness” remains strong. Read more
Latinx Success Center Brings Bruins Together
Julio Garcia II ’04, Cert. ’25, and Mireya Gutierrez Vasquez Exp. ’26 share how the new Latinx Success Center is shaping student life. Located on The Hill, the center offers a supportive community where students can grow academically, socially and professionally. As this space continues to take root, the UCLA community is invited to help build its foundation and support the next generation of leaders. Learn more
Sacred Lessons by Mike de la Rocha '00
“Sacred Lessons” is a powerful memoir in which Mike de la Rocha ’00 confronts grief, limiting definitions of masculinity and the patterns passed from father to son. Through his healing journey, he offers readers insight into how we can all foster emotional growth and build deeper, more meaningful relationships. Learn more
highlights
Changemakers at Homeboy Industries
On Oct. 17, UCLA Alumni’s 2025 Changemakers event fostered an immersive experience for alumni at Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program. Participants explored how compassion, accountability and radical kinship drive Homeboy’s transformative model, which provides wrap-around, trauma-informed support, job training and education to more than 10,000 people each year.
On Nov. 22, Bruins gathered at Tepito Coffee, a Homeboy Industries social enterprise, for an intimate conversation with author and social impact leader Mike de la Rocha ’00, whose USA Today bestselling memoir, “Sacred Lessons,” explores masculinity, healing and intergenerational transformation. This event built upon our Changemakers 2025 event and brought alumni together for continued reflection, community building and refreshments from Homegirl Café.
The UCLA Latino Alumni Association’s “Siempre Adelante: Forever Forward” crowdfunding campaign is raising $12,000 to expand mentorship and community programming for Latina/o/e Bruins. Your gift helps strengthen student success, deepen alumni engagement and advance UCLA’s path toward becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Learn more
AAPI Multimedia Textbook
UCLA’sAsian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Multimedia Textbook will be the most comprehensive digital history of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, created for students, educators and lifelong learners. This free, open-access resource aims to deepen historical understanding, expand ethnic studies curricula and build a more inclusive and empathetic American narrative. Share this critical resource with the educators, historians and sociologists in your life! Support
impact
Reframing University-Tribal Relations
Professor Theresa Ambo ’07, M.Ed. ’13, Ph.D. ’17, is reshaping how public universities understand their responsibilities to Native Nations. A triple Bruin and one of the first Gabrielino/Tongva women to earn a doctorate from UCLA, she examines land histories, strengthens community partnerships, and expands student learning around Indigenous presence and sovereignty. Read more
Making Medicines More Affordable
Professor Osvaldo Gutierrez ’06, Ph.D., is leading research to reduce the cost of lifesaving drugs. Inspired by his family’s experience with cancer, he is developing more accessible treatments to ensure scientific breakthroughs can help everyone. Read more
The Association’s work has always been, and will continue to be, to strengthen the Bruin community.
