Black-and-white portrait of Hana Asano wearing a wide-brimmed hat and light sweater, with long hair, looking slightly to the side while standing indoors with one hand on her hip.
L.A.–born and Hawaii-raised photographer HANA ASANO’s assignment for our Summer issue reunited her with an ex–soccer star who had appeared before her lens previously: UCLA and U.S. men’s soccer legend Cobi Jones. “It was lovely to link back up with him for his alumni magazine,” Asano says. “Cobi is as generous as a subject as he was talented on the soccer field!” To the artist, UCLA men’s soccer and Jones are synonymous. Asano’s work typically combines her passion for movement and storytelling, meditating on each subject as a human being first. She has worked with notable brands such as Nike, Adidas and Lululemon and media outlets such as ESPN and The New York Times.
Black-and-white headshot of Alex Bhattacharji, with short dark hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a light button-up shirt, standing in front of a softly blurred wooden fence.

“I was struck when Betty explained that the most popular recipes at Porto’s, the ones that make it an iconic institution — and which I’ve gorged on — are the same ones Betty’s mother sold illegally in Cuba to survive,” ALEX BHATTACHARJI says of his profile of Bruin Betty Porto M.A. ’83 and the deeply cherished local bakery chain she and her family operate in Southern California. Learning about Betty’s own history also put a new lens on UCLA for him. “As majestic as the campus is, I don’t think I fully appreciated UCLA’s ability to impact beyond it on the real-world concerns of working and commuter students like Betty,” he says. The former executive editor of Details, Bhattacharji has written for Bloomberg Businessweek, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, GQ, InStyle and Rolling Stone, among many other publications. His book The Book of Buddy: Inside the Improbable Making of Elf, the Last Christmas Classic, will be published by Grand Central Publishing in 2028.

Black-and-white headshot of Dave Plunkert wearing a dark T-shirt in front of a blurred wall covered with posters and graphics.

“I thought all of the innovations were interesting and was impressed by how many disciplines were covered,” illustrator DAVE PLUNKERT says, “but I think the smart vascular grafts being developed are truly astounding.” The artist provided the wonderfully complex works that grace our “Innovative UCLA” cover story, which catalogs the Bruin minds whose thinking goes way beyond the norm in areas such as smart energy grids, public policy and immersive art. “UCLA is a global innovation hub,” Plunkert says, “that’s committed to positive progress.” He recently illustrated and designed L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as part of Beehive Books’ Illuminated Edition series — oversize, clothbound and printed on acid-free paper — set for release in 2027. Plunkert’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and a global edition of Wired.

Black-and-white headshot of Brooke Porter Katz wearing a light cardigan over a patterned top, facing the camera against a plain background.

For our “UCLA on the Water” package, BROOKE PORTER KATZ reports on The Seabirds, two determined Bruins who will be undertaking the daunting task of rowing across the Atlantic this December for charity. During her interviews, Katz was surprised to have the name of a landlocked Bruin legend pop up: John Wooden. “It was incredible to hear how both of these rowers are still inspired by Wooden’s philosophies and remember specific lessons and quotes learned from their time at the Wooden Academy — another thing I didn’t know about,” she says. A former editor at Martha Stewart Living and Travel + Leisure, Katz has contributed to a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, WSJ. Magazine, AFAR and Wine Enthusiast.

Black-and-white headshot of Larry Smith wearing a button-up shirt, looking at the camera against a blurred outdoor background.

“Reporting this story gave me the rare opportunity to speak with UCLA researchers whose work could genuinely shape the future of our lives,” says former Yahoo! Internet Life executive editor LARRY SMITH, who wrote the cover story for this issue. As a contributor to The New York Times, ESPN The Magazine, Popular Science and Men’s Journal, among others, Smith has been illuminating the world of innovation for decades. He’s also the founder of the Six-Word Memoir Project, which comprises a bestselling book series of 10 titles, a live-event platform and a global storytelling movement. “What struck me most was the incredible range of people and disciplines I encountered — from the arts and humanities to engineering and the sciences — all united by a shared sense of purpose,” he says. “Across these very different fields, I met people driven by curiosity, creativity and community who shared one clear throughline: They are driven by leaving the world a better place than they found it.”

Black-and-white portrait of Ryan Young wearing a dark T-shirt while seated with folded arms, looking at the camera in an outdoor setting.

We kept RYAN YOUNG busy this issue: He photographed three of the four stories in our “UCLA on the Water” section. Various levels of splash were required by each shoot’s subjects and locations: marine archaeologist Justin Dunnavant at Malibu’s El Matador State Beach; the Bruin researchers aboard the Zodiac in the waters off Marina Del Rey; and the UCLA lifeguards training in the Sunset Rec pool on campus. Of the lifeguards he shot underwater, Young says, “Their communication, athleticism and attention to detail made them fascinating subjects to photograph.” The San Francisco–born, L.A.–based photographer is committed to telling stories across a wide spectrum of American life, from rising NBA stars and North Dakota cattle ranchers to homeless youth living along the California coast. His work has appeared in such publications as Billboard, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Slam and Thrasher.

Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Summer 2026 issue.