Alumni Helen and Morgan Chu pledge $10 million to benefit UCLA Institute of American Culture
The Chus, who are longtime donors to UCLA, participated in student-led protests in the 1960s that brought about the creation of UCLA’s ethnic studies centers.
Read more about how the gift will support the institute from UCLA Newsroom
What prevents more of the AANHPI community from seeking mental health care?
Community-informed research helped UCLA scholars outline why these groups have some of the lowest rates of mental health service utilization — and what to do about it.
UCLA professor Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi is bringing migrant and refugee stories to light
The scholar’s academic and multimedia works explore how cultural memory can push back against state-imposed erasures of a group’s history.
Read more about Gandhi’s relational approach to Asian American studies from UCLA Newsroom
Danielle Kalani Heinz studies the ancient landscapes of Hawaii to connect with ancestors
Heinz, a doctoral student in the UCLA College, discusses her passion for bringing greater equity to her field of study and what scientists can do to conduct more equitable, community-centered research.
Read more about Heinz’s “archaelogy as activism” approach from UCLA Newsroom
UCLA Labor Center’s Kent Wong honored by Los Angeles for human relations advocacy
Wong, who led the UCLA Labor Center for over 30 years and now serves as its project director for labor and community partnerships, was recognized in January 2024 by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission.
Read about Wong’s legacy of championing workers’ rights from UCLA Newsroom
Dagny Parayao aims to break ‘bamboo ceiling’ for Asian Americans
The computer science student is working toward getting more Asian American and Filipino representation in engineering and science.
Read more about Dagny Parayao from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
UCLA–Japan dentistry exchange program marks three decades
Bruins in the program have made regular journeys to Japan’s Meikai University and Asahi University to share and absorb the latest in dental techniques and technology — and get a taste of the local culture.
How Meera Varma learned the language of mental health
As an activist, writer and TedX speaker, the UCLA graduate student has challenged the conversation around mental illness, especially within her local Indian community.
Ninez Ponce receives Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award for work in health and data equity
Ponce, who leads the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, was honored for her work in helping ensure public health data collection goes beyond just including historically underrepresented communities.
Read more about Ponce and her work to democratize data from UCLA Newsroom
Chuanzhen Zhao unlocks new possibilities for personal health monitoring
Thanks to Zhao, individuals may soon be able to measure in any precise moment exactly how stressed they are — and take the proportional steps to deal with it.
Read about Zhao’s wrist patches and possible applications from UCLA Magazine
MacArthur Fellow Wu Tsang is challenging the notion of what art is
On the road to discovering herself, both in her gender identity and in her identity as an artist, Tsang had one goal: to study with famed conceptual artist and UCLA professor emerita, Mary Kelly.
Read more about Tsang’s interdisciplinary art and her swift ascent to notoriety from UCLA Magazine
King-Kok Cheung honored with lifetime achievement award
Cheung, who was recognized by the Association for Asian American Studies in 2023 for her lifelong contribution to advancing the field, was the first faculty member of Asian descent to join the English department at UCLA in 1984.
Read about Cheung’s efforts to bring more diverse voices into academia from the UCLA College
Bruins represent the most recruits of any university in new web services corps
UCLA alumnae Anjenica “Nikki” Ramos, Samantha Chai and Tiffany Feng were among 38 inaugural recipients of a two-year fellowship recruiting early career technologists to bring federal websites into the 21st century.
UTeaLA teaches students how to find mindfulness in a bowl
At UCLA, a student club led by Professor Michelle Liu Carriger teaches the art of the Japanese tea ceremony, or “o-temae,” a practice that is also about calming the mind and being present in the moment.
Read more about the UTeaLA’s origins in Westwood — and in ancient Zen Buddhism — from UCLA Newsroom
Cindy Fan on the importance of global studies and perspectives
The vice provost for international studies and global engagement at UCLA is one of five new members joining the National Academy of International Education in 2024.
Read more about Fan’s membership in NAIE and her scholarship and influence from UCLA Newsroom
