Category Archives: Diversity Digest Spotlight

Diversity Digest Spotlight - Exceeding Expectations: Volunteering as a Recent Grad with Giovanny Machado ’19

Denise Pacheco, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’11, Senior Director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives connected with UCLA Latino Alumni Association University Relations Co-Chair, Giovanny Machado ’19 to learn about what motivates him to volunteer with the UCLA Latino Alumni Association and be a leader as a young alumnus.

G

iovanny Machado is one of five children born and raised by Mexican immigrant parents in the Inland Empire in Fontana, California. While studying Psychology and Sociology at UCLA, Machado co-founded Reforming Education to Diminish Incarceration (REDI). Having been system-impacted himself, Machado developed leadership skills through REDI to help formerly incarcerated, or system-impacted individuals gain access to prestigious universities like UCLA through various workshops, tutoring and outreach.

Giovanny Machado '19 sits atop the Bruin bear statue
Giovanny Machado '19 sits atop the Bruin bear statue.

“I find great fulfillment in motivating individuals from similar backgrounds to exceed their own expectations,” Machado says.

The lasting memories and opportunity to contribute to a meaningful program like REDI deepened Machado’s commitment to stay involved with the university by volunteering with the UCLA Latino Alumni Association (ULAA) in the years following his graduation.

Machado currently serves as the University Relations Co-Chair on the ULAA board of directors. In his role he has continued to motivate UCLA students and alumni to exceed expectations by organizing career panels and programs to promote and inform the alumni community about UCLA’s goal of becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Machado fosters authentic connection with both students and alumni through his shared identity, experiences and his volunteerism with ULAA.

“UCLA Latino Alumni Association has definitely contributed to my professional development and network. I have been introduced to leaders and entrepreneurs who are making a difference on all levels, Machado said of his experience being a young alumnus on the ULAA board.”

Machado acknowledges that it can be challenging as a recent graduate to balance career goals, family commitments and volunteerism. 

“As a young professional, I balance my career, personal life and volunteer commitments by practicing the cultivation of my inner garden. There are various ways I plant seeds such as practicing mindfulness, meditation, journaling, or incorporating daily movement by running, hiking and weight lifting. I think it is important to cultivate your inner garden and plant the seeds of habits that will make you a better person internally and externally.”

Machado encourages alumni to get involved in alumni activities as their capacity allows — whether it be through volunteer leadership on a board, attending alumni events and programs or by simply staying informed about alumni activities. He hopes that by volunteering with ULAA he is able to create a community that provides mutual support and growth for all Bruins.

You can learn more about the UCLA Latino Alumni Association by visiting the network’s website. The nomination period for the 2024-2025 ULAA board of directors is currently open through April 12, 2024.

Recent Articles

Diversity Digest Spotlight - UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center: Research for Community with Veronica Terriquez, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’09

Denise Pacheco, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’11, Senior Director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives connected with professor and Director for the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA, Veronica Terriquez, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’09 to learn about her work with the Center and its impact on community.

T

he Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) emerged in the midst of social protest against profound disparities in educational access for the Mexican-descent population in the United States. Established in 1969 as a result of student organizing, the CSRC formalized a directorship in 1971. Today, that director is alumna Veronica Terriquez, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’09.

Veronica Terriquez

From the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, Veronica Terriquez earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA. She now proudly works toward advancing ethnic and racial justice on campus and in the greater California community as the director of the Chicano Studies Research Center. As a graduate student, Terriquez worked in the school of education’s Institute for Democracy Education and Access conducting quantitative research benefiting the public. The skills Terriquez gained through her graduate studies have served her well in leading a center that conducts research to advance public knowledge and non-partisan civic engagement.

“The CSRC is accountable to the university and broader community. I am a public servant and have been trained in conducting research for societal benefit,” says Terriquez.

She takes great pride in the Center’s commitment to foster multidisciplinary research efforts. One priority of hers is to promote diversity in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM).

“There is so much opportunity to make UCLA the number one institution in STEM for Latinx, first-generation and other scholars of color.”

In other work, the CSRC has led collaborative, cross-disciplinary research on young people and their experiences in California. Latinx youth outnumber their peers in other racial and ethnic groups in California making the Center’s sponsored research even more critical for the state.

“The COVID 19 pandemic really laid bare how much young people were suffering in the lowest income communities which are disproportionately Latinx, African American, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander and American Indian. Our participatory action research addresses educational disparities, health and mental health issues, workforce development and labor rights, as well as opportunities for civic engagement.”

The CSRC's initiatives aim to address social inequalities and promote a healthy multiracial democracy. This work includes the California Freedom Summer (CFS) Participatory-Action Research Project and the Latina Futures, 2050 Lab. Through university-community partnerships, CFS trained 114 college and high school students as Summer 2022 fellows and youth action researchers in 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations to mentor other young leaders, conduct voter education and exploratory research that could inform future grassroots campaigns. In collaboration with the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, in 2022 the CSRC launched the Latina Futures, 2050 Lab( LFL), which envisions a society in which Latinas have an equal opportunity to lead and everyone thrives. This initiative is driven in part by the fact that Latinas experience a significant wage gap and also remain extremely underrepresented in critical fields that will determine the future of our state, our country and our planet.

“Through our initiatives, we are supporting research, community programing and leadership development opportunities that center equity and inclusion,” said Terriquez.

Learn more about and contribute to the Chicano Studies Research Center and the programs highlighted by Dr. Terriquez in this article by visiting the following websites:

Recent Articles

Diversity Digest Spotlight - Bruins in Sustainability: The Intersectional Environmentalism of Nisha Bansal '20

Cory Rosas ’16, Director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives (DPI) connected with recent graduate and featured speaker for DPI’s upcoming program Mixin’ It Up: Empowering Communities for a Sustainable Tomorrow, a program that will bring alumni and students together to engage in conversation around intersectionality and sustainability inspired by the 2023-24 UCLA Common Experience selection “Intersectional Environmentalist,” to learn more about her experience at UCLA and how intersectionality has impacted her work in, and passion for, sustainability.

N

isha Bansal is a recent graduate who majored in environmental science and public affairs at UCLA where she worked for UCLA Housing’s sustainability team as a sustainability associate on The Hill and was involved with the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) facilities commission focused on underutilized campus spaces. Following graduation, Bansal began working as an environmental science consultant with a private company and has recently transitioned to working with Partnership for Growth LA (PFGLA), an intersectional community development corporation that seeks to address issues such as food access, job and economic security, primary education support, and workforce development in a manner that builds community ownership.

Bansal credits her South Asian background as inspiration for her investment and interest in environmental issues from a young age, “My parents shaped a lot of my early environmental and conservationist thinking. They immigrated to the United States from India with very little, which instilled in me the importance of making the best use of our resources. Culturally, we don’t always think of it as being environmentally conscious, it’s more so about embodying a way of living that happens to be more connected to nature. As a kid, my mom was always growing fruits and vegetables in our backyard, and family road trips to national parks were a summer staple.”

Seeing connections between her own South Asian culture, particularly as it relates to food and the community built around food, and her coursework at UCLA drove her to seek out professional opportunities in sustainable food systems. As the program manager for Freedom Farms, a program tasked with creating a network of local urban farms to offer more food access and healthy food focused education to Los Angeles community members, particularly South and West LA community members experiencing food insecurity, Bansal has been able to fulfill her passion for sustainable food systems while supporting local communities.

"The goal of Freedom Farms is to establish 37 urban farms or community gardens in the city of LA in the next 3 years. I am interested in how we can make our food systems more local and community-centric, so that we can engage the folks in our city who have historically lacked access to fresh produce and to equitable, sustainable spaces like this.”

A recent demographic profile conducted by the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning tells us that South LA is a multicultural community with 64 percent of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino and 25 percent identifying as Black or African American. South LA is also a known food desert, places where there is a lack of access to fresh foods and a lack of supermarkets available to serve the surrounding population, making the work of Freedom Farms critical in providing access to fresh produce.

“My goal is to establish a program that is self-sustaining and can be replicated across other cities. I’m looking forward to the impact that this program will have, not just in terms of improving food access, but also in shifting perspectives around food sovereignty and what it means to be connected to what’s on your plate.”

Bansal will be a featured speaker for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives’ upcoming program Mixin’ It Up: Empowering Communities for a Sustainable Tomorrow, a program that will bring alumni and students together to engage in conversation around intersectionality and sustainability inspired by the 2023-24 UCLA Common Experience selection “Intersectional Environmentalist.”

You can learn more about Mixin’ It Up and other Diversity Programs & Initiatives signature programs by visiting our website.

Recent Articles

Diversity Digest Spotlight - Re-Emergence: Learning and Leading with AAPAN President Kiet Lam

Denise Pacheco, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’11, Senior Director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives connected with 2023 Volunteer of the Year and UCLA Academic Advancement Program Alumni Network (AAPAN) president, Kiet Lam ’98, M.P.H. ’00, to learn more about his experience at UCLA, his connection to the UCLA Academic Advancement Program (AAP) and the launch of its official alumni network.

K

iet Lam is the founder and CEO of Climb Healthcare Consulting in the San Francisco Bay Area where he prioritizes client service while helping improve the financial health of hospitals and health systems. Named the 2023 Volunteer of the Year by UCLA Alumni, Lam serves as the inaugural president of the UCLA Academic Advancement Program Alumni Network (AAPAN). Founded in 2021, AAPAN seeks to establish an association that furthers philanthropy for experienced Academic Advancement Program (AAP) alumni, offers professional development opportunities for recent AAP graduates and expands upon the academic and leadership excellence that is the hallmark of the AAP program to continue to support first-generation professionals.

When Lam arrived at UCLA as a first-generation college student he had already overcome many obstacles. He was five years old when he traversed the South China Sea for four days on a fishing boat with his mother and two older brothers, escaping Vietnam for a refugee camp in Malaysia. He and his family were able to seek amnesty in the United States through sponsorship with his aunt. His refugee background and subsequent upbringing in San Diego and other parts of Southern California led him to UCLA as a first-generation college student where he was first acquainted with the University through the UCLA Academic Advancement Program and its Freshman Summer Program.

Lam credits the AAP with his success at UCLA and beyond: “AAP is a lifeline to those like me, who just don’t have the knowledge, experience or resources to adapt to and then navigate college.” It is that same lifeline that Lam aims to offer alumni of the AAP program through the work of AAPAN. Leveraging the determination, success, passion and experience of UCLA Academic Advancement Program graduates, he hopes that alumni like himself can impact the lives of recent graduates through networking and mentorship. “I am a living example of the power of opportunity and access and what it can result in. There are many examples like myself when you look at the many years of AAP alumni,” Lam said.

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lam found many opportunities to reflect on the privileges that he currently holds. “Access to food, health care, and higher education are among things that we take for granted daily. I found myself asking, ‘What can we do more to help our community.’” Launching the AAP Alumni Network in 2021 at the height of the pandemic was one way that Lam sought to support his community. For Lam AAP was the first extension of his personal network that helped him navigate the University and set a foundation for success. He believed that an established alumni network could help “pandemic graduates” entering the workforce by offering networking and mentorship opportunities with other AAP graduates.

The pandemic’s shift to remote, and sometimes hybrid, activity and work brought many challenges and opportunities as well. “As leaders we need to get creative and provide opportunities to re-engage in a hybrid setting,” he said. “I have learned to be more patient with initiatives, and rolling them out so we can take these things into consideration.” Since its launch, the network has hosted both in-person and fully remote programs to reach AAP alumni wherever they are.

Lam has a lot of optimism for the future of the AAP Alumni Network and aims to continue to learn and grow as the network develops. Through his work with the founding board members and UCLA Alumni Affairs staff, AAPAN was successfully launched at the Academic Advancement Program’s 50th Anniversary Gala in December of 2021.

“There are people like myself who are now making efforts to be cognizant of their privilege and resources and want to make a positive impact. Some need guidance on how they can help, or nudges in the right direction. Through AAPAN, I hope to find these people and organize them to collectively make a bigger impact.”

You can learn more about the Academic Advancement Program Alumni Network and how you can get involved by visiting our website.

Diversity Programs & Initiatives

Recent Articles

Our Proud Partners

UCLA Alumni Association
James West Alumni Center
325 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095

cog user CLOSE MENU