Archive for category: Alumni

How DemocraShe Builds Civic Engagement for All How UCLA Luskin alumna Sarah Jakle combines trauma-informed practice, public policy, and mentorship to prepare young women for civic leadership.

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Sarah Jakle M.P.P. ’04 (she/her) has always believed that leadership must support the whole human being. Her commitment to women’s civic empowerment began long before she founded her organization DemocraShe, but the seeds were planted in the classrooms and mentorship circles she experienced as a graduate student at UCLA.

Jakle studied literature as an undergraduate before beginning her early career working with unhoused communities and individuals living with mental illness. This included an internship at U.S. VETS in Long Beach, where she worked directly with veterans experiencing homelessness, trauma and complex behavioral health needs. The work highlighted the barriers that individuals face when navigating unstable housing, mental health challenges and limited resources.

“I was working with unhoused veterans who had survived extraordinary adversity,” Jakle said. “Trauma was everywhere. It became clear that understanding trauma was essential to understanding how to really help people.”

Although she was making an impact one person at a time, Jakle saw how structural policies often determined whether meaningful change was possible. That realization brought her to graduate school, where she sought to understand the systems that shape people’s lives.

She earned a master’s in public policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and later completed a master’s in social work at USC with a concentration in military social work. The dual training created what she describes as a “Venn diagram” of her interests. The public policy curriculum equipped her with analytical and quantitative tools, while her social work training gave her trauma-informed frameworks for understanding the emotional experiences of people navigating public systems.

At UCLA, Jakle took several courses that fundamentally shifted her perspective, including the statistics and evaluation courses that she initially found intimidating as a non-STEM student.

“I was a literature major, so taking calculus-based economics and statistics was a shock,” she said. “But those classes transformed me. They taught me that you cannot assume you have impact. You have to measure it.”

Another defining experience came from her mentorship with former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, one of her professors at UCLA Luskin. Dukakis invited her to his home, where she met his wife, Kitty Dukakis. Learning about Kitty’s treatment in the press during the 1988 presidential election had a lasting influence on Jakle.

“Kitty was brilliant and compassionate, but she had been deeply mistreated during the campaign,” Jakle said. “It was the first time I truly understood that the emotional experience of being in politics could be as consequential as any policy outcome.”

The experience opened Jakle’s eyes to how women experience public scrutiny, and how often their emotional well-being is overlooked in discussions about civic leadership. This realization stayed with her as she continued her work after graduate school.

From Theory to Practice

Jakle’s graduate training and early career experiences directly shaped the creation of DemocraShe, a nonpartisan leadership program for young women. The organization serves a diverse group of students, with the majority identifying as girls of color and many as first-generation Americans.

DemocraShe teaches students foundational civic knowledge, leadership skills and what Jakle calls “amygdala skills,” which are basic neuroscience tools that help young women regulate fear, discomfort and internalized barriers when stepping into unfamiliar or high-pressure spaces.

“Women are socialized to be perfect, and stepping out of your comfort zone can trigger the amygdala,” Jakle said. “That discomfort often shows up as hesitation or self-doubt, which people call imposter syndrome. We teach girls how to regulate those feelings so they can pursue opportunities that match their ambition.”

Sarah Jakle Speaking on a microphone at a political rally with a flyer that reads "politicians are no longer allowed to choose their voters"

Grounding and resourcing are two of the trauma-informed techniques that students learn. Grounding involves returning to the present moment through sensory awareness. Resourcing involves cultivating an inner supportive voice to counteract internalized criticism. Both practices are drawn from trauma research and help to calm the amygdala, allowing the prefrontal cortex to re-engage.

“We teach girls that the brain is constantly scanning for threat and safety,” she said. “If they can regulate the amygdala, they can make choices from a place of confidence and clarity.”

DemocraShe integrates rigorous evaluation into its programming, a discipline Jakle attributes to her training at UCLA Luskin. Students complete anonymous pre-program and post-program surveys so the team can track changes over time. For the full 2025 cohort, 37% of students reported understanding how to move forward as active participants in American democracy before the 10-week flagship program. After completing the program, that figure rose to 99%.

Another key metric asks whether DemocraShe helped students do something they were previously afraid to try; 92% say yes. Examples range from delivering public remarks in religious spaces, to running for school leadership positions, to asserting themselves in instances of workplace conflict.

“These findings tell us that our work is shifting both leadership skills and resilience skills,” Jakle said. “We are helping young women navigate adversity while stepping into the roles they deserve.”

Mentorship and Civic Leadership

Although UCLA shaped her academic foundation, one of Jakle’s most influential mentors came through her political organizing work. She credits Ada Briceño, labor leader and former chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County, as someone who demonstrated what courageous leadership looks like.

“Watching Ada, I saw firsthand how women, especially women of color, experience systemic pushback in civic spaces,” Jakle said. “It made me passionate not only about strengthening our democracy but also about protecting the emotional lives of the women who lead.”

Jakle has also worked as the Get Out the Vote director for the California National Organization for Women. During that time, she heard many women receive vague warnings that political life would be difficult, without being offered any tangible tools to manage the challenges ahead.

“For me, that felt like a missed opportunity,” she said. “We have decades of research on how people can self-regulate during stress. We should not send women into public life without these tools.”

Navigating the Present and Looking Ahead

Jakle believes that civic engagement extends far beyond voting. She encourages students from all academic backgrounds to understand how policy affects their educational pathways, professional fields and daily lives. She also believes that higher education institutions can play a significant role in preparing the next generation of civic leaders.

One of her priorities is advocating for paid opportunities for students to participate in policy work. She notes that many early political pipeline programs are unpaid, which often prevents students who need to work from participating.

“There are meetings happening right now about the future of the UC system,” she said. “Students should be in those rooms, and they should be paid for their time. Otherwise, only students with financial flexibility will get access to those spaces.”

As part of that commitment, DemocraShe pays all participants who take part in its 10-week program or its one-day summer intensives held live on Zoom.

Jakle also recognizes that many young people feel overwhelmed by political uncertainty and social change. She emphasizes the importance of joy as a protective factor for the brain. She teaches a practice called “savoring,” in which individuals spend a few moments each morning noticing two joyful or beautiful things to counter the brain’s negativity bias.

“When there is so much suffering, it can feel like experiencing joy is a betrayal,” she said. “But joy protects the brain. It helps people stay engaged instead of burning out.”

Her advice for those seeking to remain informed and active is simple. She encourages people to find community, participate in local action, and take small, consistent steps that contribute to positive change. She also recommends looking at diverse sources of information and listening to students and young organizers who are at the center of campus activism.

“Democracy is woven through everyday life,” she said. “Small actions matter. Community matters. And every person has a role in shaping the world around them.”

Jakle’s journey from social work to public policy and civic empowerment illustrates how trauma-informed leadership can strengthen democracy. Through DemocraShe, she continues to uplift young women and equip them with tools that support both their public leadership and their inner resilience.

This article was originally published by UCLA Alumni. Read the full article here.

Selina Barajas: Championing Community, Culture, and Equity in Tucson’s Ward 5 UCLA Luskin alumna brings her planning expertise and community-first values to Tucson’s City Council as the first woman to represent Ward 5

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Selina Barajas (MA UP ’10) has always believed that true change begins at the community level — by listening, collaborating, and caring for the places and people who make a city thrive. This November, that belief carried her to a historic victory as the first woman ever elected to represent Ward 5 on the Tucson City Council. This is the first time in Tucson history that the council majority – four out of the six seats – will be women. 

As a fourth-generation Tucsonan, Barajas’ roots run deep. She grew up immersed in the city’s diverse cultures, attending local schools, exploring the Sonoran Desert, and learning firsthand the importance of community connection. From an early age, she witnessed the power of civic engagement through her family and found her passion for advocacy through a youth mentorship program with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC).  

Selina Barajas with one hand on her hip, wearing a cowboy hat smiling at the camera. She is standing in a desert in Arizona.

It was at CPLC that she met former Executive Director Lorraine Lee, who became an early mentor and encouraged Barajas to pursue a master’s degree at UCLA, just as Lee had. 

Those early experiences at CPLC laid the foundation for her next chapter, and by 2008, Barajas was enrolled as a master’s in urban planning student at UCLA. 

Barajas says UCLA inspired her lifelong commitment to equity-centered leadership. “My time at UCLA Luskin shaped my approach by emphasizing that community-driven development and social equity are inseparable,” she said. “I learned to center the voices of those most impacted by policies and planning decisions, and to design solutions that reflect their needs, culture, and expertise.” 

She says the master’s program also taught her how to combine analytical rigor with empathy and opportunities to apply her classroom learning in real-world projects. “Luskin taught me to see equity not as an add-on, but as the foundation for lasting, meaningful change. It also provided real-world opportunities to engage directly with communities, applying what we learned in the classroom.” 

“Luskin taught me to see equity not as an add-on, but as the foundation for lasting, meaningful change.”

Barajas also credits Luskin’s urban planning program with sharpening both her technical and human-centered skills. Courses in data analysis and geographic information systems (GIS) gave her the ability to visualize disparities and advocate for equity through evidence-based planning. She also recalled the lasting influence of the late Professor Leo Estrada, one of the first scholars, she says, to center diversity and representation in urban planning. “He taught us that planning is not just about policy or design — it’s about people,” Barajas recalled. “His guidance helped shape my lifelong commitment to community development and equity.” 

After graduating from UCLA Luskin in 2010, Barajas spent a decade working in nonprofits and local government in and around Los Angeles, strengthening her commitment to youth empowerment and inclusive community development.  

Barajas returned to Tucson in 2018 to continue her work at the intersection of environmental justice, cultural preservation, transportation planning and entrepreneurship. She and her husband are in the process of opening  Luna y Sol Cafe, South Tucson’s first-ever coffee shop and bird and butterfly habitat created in partnership with the Tucson Bird Alliance. Designed as a gathering place for connection, conversation, and stewardship, the cafe reflects her vision for an inclusive and sustainable city. Selina Barajas and two other women stand with signs about protecting the land

Barajas also founded Reinas Who Hike, a Southern Arizona collective that inspires women — especially women of color — to connect with nature, advocate for public lands, and build confidence on the trails. 

“Whether through hiking, small business, or public service, everything I do is about creating spaces of belonging,” Barajas said. “When people feel seen, valued, and connected, they invest in their community — and that’s how real change happens.” 

Barajas secured her Ward 5 seat after winning the Democratic primary earlier this year and ran unopposed in the general election. She will take office on Dec. 2, 2025, succeeding longtime council member Richard Fimbres, who retired after serving more than sixteen years of service. 

As she prepares to take office, Barajas says she’s ready to bring her planning background and community-first approach to the Tucson City Council. Her priorities include advancing environmental justice, supporting small businesses, improving parks and public spaces, and ensuring Ward 5 residents have a real voice in shaping their city. 

For Barajas, her election win represents both a personal milestone and a collective achievement. “Becoming the first woman to represent Ward 5 is deeply meaningful,” she said. “It honors the generations of women and community leaders who paved the way, and it inspires me to keep opening doors for those who come after me — including my daughters.” 

To current UCLA Luskin students and future civic leaders, Barajas offers simple but powerful advice: listen first, show up, and stay rooted in purpose. “Civic leadership is about building trust,” she said. “Start by engaging with your community, volunteering, and learning from others doing the work. Let your passion for your community guide you.” 

Barajas exemplifies the changemakers UCLA Luskin is proud to call our own. “I envision a Tucson that is inclusive and resilient — a city shaped by the ideas, needs, and voices of the community itself,” Barajas said. “That’s the Tucson I’ll work to build every day.”  

A group of women on a hike in Arizona.

LPPI Faculty Director Amada Armenta’s Personal History Influences Her Policy Efforts Her research pushes back on the narrative that Latino communities don’t matter

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By Sophia Pu
Amada Armenta, a UCLA alumna and associate professor of urban planning, is never far from her roots. While Oct. 15 marks the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, Armenta’s pride in her heritage inspires her to empower Latino communities every day through her work.

Armenta, faculty director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) since May 2024, is the first Latina to hold the position. But her journey began 200 miles away, in El Centro, California, at the heart of the Imperial Valley.

Imperial County, which borders Mexico and Arizona, is 85% Hispanic and is California’s top producer of alfalfa and carrots. Yet the unemployment rate in the county continues to rank among the highest in the state. Growing up there taught Armenta the strength of community in the face of economic and social inequalities.

Like many other families in the area, Armenta’s great-grandmother and grandmother crossed the border from Jalisco, Mexico, without authorization to work in the fields. Immigration enforcement checkpoints, vehicles, and increasing surveillance shaped her everyday life.

“Attacks on undocumented immigrants have always felt personal to me,” Armenta said. “For many years, my family was undocumented, so these attacks make me feel like there are people in this country who wish we weren’t here. As a kid, I found that deeply painful.”

Despite Imperial County’s limited resources, Armenta’s family always reminded her to be proud of where she came from.

She recalls: “My dad used to tell me, ‘Brown, it’s beautiful!’ As a kid, I thought he was kind of insane. But now, I’m grateful he said it so often, because it stuck.”

Armenta’s family history and life experiences led her to UCLA’s sociology program for graduate school, where she found “the only institution that has truly felt like home.” Her personal research examines how and why immigration enforcement operates — and its consequences for families and communities.

Armenta’s leadership at LPPI embodies the phrase “knowledge is power.” The research and data-based recommendations provided by the institute to policymakers and advocates, she says, push back on the narrative that Latino communities don’t matter.

LPPI’s policy fellows program also advances one of the key recommendations to becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution by improving access to graduate and professional programs, extending opportunities for engagement in research, and ensuring mentorship support.

Students have the opportunity to work hands-on alongside professional staff and researchers to gain paid experience shaping academia, policy, and media. This experience provides pathways to careers in legislative offices, government agencies, and research institutions.

“Their opportunities — and mine — exist because of the trailblazers whose work and sacrifice opened doors for us,” Armenta said. “We’re building on their legacies every day.”

Closing Gaps in Mental Health Care: Tamika Lewis MSW ’05 on Creating Healing Spaces for Women of Color UCLA Luskin alumna transforms personal loss into a mission-driven practice to empower women.

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by Peaches Chung

Walking into Women of Color Therapy (WOC Therapy), you feel a sense of peace, as if you’ve arrived somewhere that knows you. The living spaces, infused with color, texture and life, mirror the holistic approach Tamika Lewis MSW ’05 brings to her work: healing that honors both mind and soul, culture and community. 

Walk up the brick pathway and into a charming home, where a spacious living room centers around a grand fireplace. Colorful artwork adorns the walls, paying homage to ancestral heritage and healing. In the backyard, the garden serves as a gathering place for yoga retreats and healing workshops. 

This is WOC Therapy, the intentional, communal wellness center founded by Tamika Lewis. 

Women sit on the floor in the back garden of WOC Therapy and Wellness center, having a meditation session in the outdoor spaces.

As the founder and clinical director, Lewis leads a holistic practice dedicated to providing culturally competent mental health care for women and teens of color. Her approach blends evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR and Somatic Therapy with ancestral healing, storytelling and movement. For Lewis, the mission of WOC Therapy is deeply personal.  

“The inspiration for WOC Therapy came from my own personal struggles with mental health,” Lewis says. “In college, two of my closest friends died by suicide. One of those students was Jennifer Paek, a fellow MSW student at UCLA. The grief of losing her made me ask hard questions.” 

That moment of loss became a catalyst for Lewis’ work. What was an experience of profound grief transformed into a calling.  

“I felt driven to create a space where women of color could put down the facade of perfection and show up authentically,” she says. “How can I be honest with myself about the mental health challenges I battled in secret? Why aren’t we talking about mental health in our communities?” 

Those questions became the framework for her work at WOC Therapy, located in the San Fernando Valley. “WOC Therapy was my answer to that gap — a space rooted in clinical excellence, as well as cultural wisdom, community and joy.”  

The wellness center feels more like a home than a clinic, where each room has been thoughtfully transformed into a space for conversation and community. Gone are the sterile walls of a traditional counseling office; in their place is a setting that feels familiar, inviting and safe. 

“Imagine being able to heal and release trauma that no longer belongs to you,” says Lewis — a guiding vision that shapes every corner of her practice. 

Headshot of Tamika Lewis MSW Alumna

Lewis’ path to social work began at Westmont College, where she studied English and sociology, and continued through her master’s in social work at UCLA. At UCLA Luskin, she was recognized with the National Association of Social Workers Student Award and the UCLA MSW Excellence Award, honors that highlighted both her academic dedication and her commitment to social equity.  

“My experience as an MSW student at UCLA shaped so much of who I am today,” she says. “I felt at home among my peers and professors, who welcomed my ambitious ideas and desire to drive change in my community. It was an empowering experience.” 

Launching her own wellness center, however, was not without challenges. Stepping away from a stable job as a school counselor, Lewis navigated the uncertainties of entrepreneurship while being a single mom. She credits the “Tiny Moves” approach — the focus of her upcoming book “Tiny Moves: The Defining Moments that Change Us” — for helping her make small, consistent steps toward her goals. “Success isn’t always about big leaps. It’s about staying true to your vision and action, even when fear is present.”

To current social work students at Luskin dreaming of creating community-centered practices, she advises: “Trust your body wisdom. Those quiet nudges you feel are often the beginnings of your most powerful work. Don’t wait until everything feels perfect — take tiny moves in the direction of your vision.” 

For Lewis, social work is not just a career but a responsibility — to her community and to the future of mental health equity. Through WOC Therapy, she has turned personal pain into a powerful purpose, proving that even in the wake of incredible loss, healing and hope are possible. 

Preserving L.A.’s Cultural Heart: Luskin Alum Edgar Garcia’s Journey from Lincoln Heights to El Pueblo 

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At the heart of downtown Los Angeles stands El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, the birthplace of the city and a living remnant of the city’s layered past. As Interim General Manager of El Pueblo, urban planning alumni Edgar Garcia (MAUP ’ 06) oversees 22 acres of museums, historic buildings, legacy businesses, and sacred public spaces, including La Placita or commonly known as Olvera Street. His work at El Pueblo is about preserving Los Angeles’ most treasured historic spaces for future generations. For him, this isn’t just a job; it’s a calling deeply rooted in his heritage, and he credits the training he received at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs with preparing him for this monumental role. 

Garcia grew up in Lincoln Heights, one of Los Angeles’ oldest neighborhoods. As a first-generation Mexican American, he heard stories about his family’s roots in Jalisco and Zacatecas, two states in Mexico celebrated for their rich history and cultural significance. “As a Mexican American born and raised in L.A., I wanted to know what my heritage was,” Garcia recalls. “I went to the L.A. Central Library and found an architectural guide about Los Angeles. Reading about Lincoln Heights got me interested in L.A. architecture which then led me to learning about the history of L.A.” 

It was that curiosity combined with his passion for community that eventually led him to UCLA Luskin, where he immersed himself in urban planning with a focus on preservation. Today, as a director of a historic district, his responsibilities are as multifaceted as the history of the site itself. He’s a landlord to business owners on Olvera Street, a museum director overseeing seven cultural institutions, and a steward of current and future public art, such as the controversial “America Tropical” mural from 1932 by Mexican artist David A. Siqueiros and the future memorial to the 1871 Chinese Massacre. 

Looking back at his time at UCLA, Garcia credits Luskin’s interdisciplinary approach as the foundation for his planning career. “At Luskin, I met transportation advocates, housing experts, people working across every aspect of planning. I was the only preservation guy, but I got out of my comfort zone learning alongside people who came into planning from so many different backgrounds and perspectives.” 

“The interdisciplinary skillset I acquired through my Luskin years really set me up for success.”

The value of Luskin’s academic diversity has proved instrumental in his professional life. Working with L.A. Department of Urban Planning staff, California Department of Transportation representatives, Metro planners, engineers, elected officials, and policymakers required Garcia to speak multiple “planning languages.” His Luskin coursework also taught him how to bridge disciplines and perspectives, a skill that has shaped his leadership today. 

“The interdisciplinary skillset I acquired through my Luskin years really set me up for success,” Garcia says. “That approach is the only way to do this work and be successful.”

Garcia’s role also placed him at the center of a defining moment in our city’s history. He stood alongside Mayor Karen Bass during an executive directive signing at El Pueblo on July 11, a site chosen because of its painful past and its role as a beacon of hope for immigrant communities. 

In his introductory speech he spoke about how in the 1930s, La Placita was the site of forced repatriations, where Mexicans and Mexican Americans, some U.S. citizens, were rounded up and deported. However, decades later, in the 1980s, the La Placita Church became the first Catholic church in the city to declare public sanctuary, offering refuge to Central American migrants and sparking the sanctuary movement. 

“To have the mayor sign support for immigrants at the Pico House was profound,” Garcia reflects. “It proves that history is meaningful, and it resonates with what’s happening now. We survived that period with dignity and hopefully that history inspires people today.” 

For Garcia, moments like these reaffirm the importance of his work at El Pueblo, not just in preserving historic buildings but keeping the stories of Los Angeles alive for generations to come. 

  

Luskin Alum Edgar Garcia MURP ’06 Welcomes Mayor Bass at Executive Directive Signing Edgar Garcia stands alongside Mayor Karen Bass as city advances protections for immigrants at historic Los Angeles landmark.

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UCLA Luskin alum Edgar Garcia MURP ’06 helped mark a significant moment in Los Angeles history as he welcomed Mayor Karen Bass to El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument on July 11, where she signed a new executive directive to strengthen city protections for immigrant communities.

“In 1931, our plaza here, was the site of the forced repatriation of U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage, where raids occurred on unsuspecting visitors…It’s a sad history but a powerful reminder of what we are facing today,” said Garcia. “The fear and trauma of so many back then, has once again been awakened across our city. But there’s also another history — one rooted in hope, unity and solidarity.”

From the painful legacy of forced repatriations in the 1930s to the sanctuary movement sparked at La Placita Church in the 1980s by Father Olivares, Edgar reminded us our city’s history holds both trauma and hope — and a responsibility to protect our most vulnerable.

Mayor Bass’ directive comes in response to a wave of recent ICE raids in Los Angeles. The directive requires all city departments to comply with L.A.’s sanctuary ordinance, submit preparedness plans, and expand access to resources through Immigrant Affairs Liaisons. It also forms a working group to guide LAPD response to ICE activity and seeks federal records on recent immigration enforcement actions.

Garcia currently serves as Interim General Manager of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, where he uses his educational background in urban planning as a tool for preservation, education, and community empowerment. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to honoring Los Angeles’ diverse history while shaping how future generations engage with and protect the city’s cultural and historic spaces.

APA Honors Urban and Regional Planning Alumna for Transportation Equity Research The award-winning capstone project sheds light on the toll of extreme commutes on low-income communities in the San Fernando Valley.

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Alejandra Rios Gutiérrez MURP ’24 was recently honored with the Academic Award by the Los Angeles section of the American Planning Association (APA) for her capstone project, “Lost Hours, Lost Opportunities: The Toll of Extreme Travel on Lower-Income Communities in the San Fernando Valley.” The award, which recognizes innovation and community impact in the field of planning, was presented at the APA awards ceremony held June 26 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Gutiérrez’s research, conducted in partnership with Pacoima Beautiful, a leading environmental justice organization serving Northeast San Fernando Valley’s Latinx communities, explores the profound and often invisible burdens of “extreme travel”—defined in her project as commutes exceeding 180 minutes per day for all essential trips, not just work. Her project, which included in-depth interviews and surveys, illuminated how transportation challenges intersect with systemic issues like housing unaffordability, job sprawl, and limited transit access—leaving low-income residents with fewer choices and heavier costs.

“My capstone was inspired by past coworkers and friends whose extreme commutes had serious impacts on their lives,” Gutiérrez shared. “I saw how long commutes take a toll on overall well-being, especially for low-income workers who have fewer choices about where they live or work.”

Her project does more than document these struggles, it reframes the entire planning conversation. “It was important to me that the project not only document the problem but also challenge how we define ‘access’ and who we design for. I want to center people’s time, labor, and well-being as core planning issues.”

Gutiérrez’s work arrives at a critical moment as the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project prepares to break ground. Her findings offer key policy insights that could help ensure the project serves the communities most impacted by extreme travel. “Receiving this award from APA Los Angeles is a meaningful honor, especially because the project was rooted in the experiences of people whose needs are often overlooked in planning processes,” she said. “It affirms the importance of making visible the realities faced by extreme commuters and reinforces my belief that equity-centered research and advocacy are essential to the future of planning.”

She credits her training and education at UCLA Luskin for shaping her values as a planner. “My time at UCLA Luskin shaped my approach by encouraging both a critical lens and a strong commitment to justice. The program gave me the tools to analyze complex systems, as well as the space to ask deeper questions about who planning serves, what values guide our decisions, and how we build accountability into our work.”

Read her project “Lost Hours, Lost Opportunities: The Toll of Extreme Travel on Lower-Income Communities in the San Fernando Valley” here.

Luskin Lecture on the Ongoing Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality Tony Hoang joins Luskin Lecture Series for a timely dialogue on civil rights and the road ahead.

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Amid rising political polarization and legislative efforts to roll back LGBTQ+ rights and protections, UCLA Luskin brought the conversation home with a powerful event exploring what’s at stake — and what’s possible — in the ongoing fight for equality. 

 

“LGBTQ+ Equality and the 2025 Landscape,” the latest in the Luskin Lecture Series and co-hosted by UCLA Luskin’s Office of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations, took place May 20 at UCLA’s Kerckhoff Grand Salon. The evening featured keynote speaker Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California and Silver State Equality, who delivered a sobering yet hopeful message about the road ahead. 

 

The son of Vietnamese refugees and the first in his family to attend college, Hoang now leads the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. Hoang began his presentation with a look back at key moments in California’s legislative history in the fight for marriage equality — from Prop 22 and the Knight Initiative to Obergefell v. Hodges — highlighting how far the movement has come. 

 

The event, moderated by Michael Fleming, president and founding executive director of the David Bohnett Foundation and longtime lecturer in social welfare at UCLA Luskin, brought together students, faculty, alumni, and community members for a timely dialogue on civil rights, civic engagement and the power of community mobilization. 

 

Hoang addressed a troubling trend among major corporations pulling back from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in response to mounting political backlash. He expressed deep concern over what he sees as a growing retreat by once-supportive businesses and national brands, many of which are wary of aligning in opposition to the Trump administration.

 

“There are a lot of challenges ahead,” Hoang said. “But know that this community has been here before. It’s about how we show up — organizing, coalition-building — that will make all the difference in how we continue to move forward. That’s how we keep our eyes ahead of us.” 

View event photos.

From Social Work to City Hall: Luskin Alum Nikki Perez Breaks Barriers in Burbank Nikki Perez, MSW ’18, is the youngest mayor to serve the city in its history —  and that's only the start.

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By Stan Paul

As mayor of Burbank, Nikki Perez, MSW ’18, represents a few firsts.

She’s the youngest mayor to serve the Southern California city in its history as well as the first Indigenous and openly LGBTQIA+ mayor.

Perez won a seat on the city council in 2022 with a record-breaking 17,958 votes. Then in December 2024— during the city’s annual reorganization meeting — she was elected mayor by her fellow council peers. She previously served as Burbank’s vice mayor.

“It is a great honor to be selected to serve as Burbank’s Mayor, and I appreciate the City Council’s confidence in me,” Perez said upon being elected to the one-year term.

The daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala, Perez attended local public schools in Burbank, developing a deep commitment to public service and to the city she calls home.

She now serves as an associate clinical social worker with youth and families and most recently worked as program manager for Kids First, a City of Los Angeles program that she developed to bring nonprofit, government, and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) partners together in to increase academic success for unhoused students in the San Fernando Valley. She also served as an education and workforce development coordinator for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, program manager for New Economics for Women, and as chair of the Burbank Library Board of Trustees.

“Born in raised in Burbank, this community has shaped who I am, and I am committed to building upon a city where everyone has a voice and opportunity to thrive,” she said. “I look forward to working with the entire City Council and our community on the issues that matter most to our residents and businesses.”

For Perez, becoming Mayor can feel a bit surreal at times, she said, but, she enjoys the policy work associated with her role on the council and as mayor, especially the ability to make meaningful change. She recalled an experience as city councilmember on an issue that was contentious and drew a crowd of people to the council meeting.

“They were really impassioned, and one gentleman came forward and said, ‘This is what you have to do!” But, in the remaining seconds of his time, he said, “Hi Nikki, so good to see you.” The man was her fifth-grade teacher.

Perez earned undergraduate degrees in psychology and music performance from UC Riverside. But it was her experience as a graduate student at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs that helped her envision a life in public service.

“Being at Luskin was what really got me into wanting to work in macro social work and the policy or advocacy side of things.”

“Being at Luskin was what really got me into wanting to work in macro social work and the policy or advocacy side of things,” she said, explaining that the MSW program requires two one-year internships outside of UCLA.

“They try to place you somewhere where you probably will be a little uncomfortable because you need to get your sea legs,” she said.

She was placed on a Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) contract to be a social worker for children and families at a Head Start program.

“My client base was really one- to four-year-olds,” she said. “It was a really diverse group of folks and I realized that regardless of what any of these families face — some of them were foster families, some of them were single moms, some of them were facing issues of immigration — regardless of what it was, at some point they all ran into a similar issue with a bureaucracy or a system that just didn’t make sense.”

That experience led her to think critically about the people making decisions in Sacramento and Los Angeles for children and families.

“I started looking at their backgrounds and wondering why we didn’t have somebody like a social worker in there.”

Perez said that sparked her thinking about wanting to work in government, “…and really do the macro social work piece when you take what you’ve learned working one-on-one with folks and apply it to policies so that we can have a system where the goal of a policy actually matches the application.”

She later joined the state legislature, where she began as a field representative for a state assembly member and later became communications director.

“It was really interesting because I got to serve him in his first term. So, when he was getting his feet wet and learning about the state, I was also learning about it through the lens of a staffer,” where she said she learned about committees where money moves.

“This is how cities can actually advocate for things. This is how residents should ask for legislation to be passed.”

Another thing she learned is that legislators also listen to constituents and sometimes get their ideas for bills from constituents.

“And I think that’s one of my favorite things to do in my role because as someone who came from working in the state and who was really motivated to run for my city council because of how I saw the state give out grants, how bills affect your localities.”

Perez said that a major focus of her turn as mayor is, “making sure that I’m now advocating for my city, to our state, to our federal elections in the right way…bringing those dollars back.”

She recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with other mayors from across the United States, and to meet with California’s representatives there and to advocate on a number of common local issues for city leaders including municipal bonds, water and power.

Her background in social welfare continues to influence her work as mayor.

“I think in multiple ways I can say it’s been helpful in the fact that as a social worker, as somebody who knows how to work with people to, to reach a goal, we have a council that is not only diverse in age and race and where they come from in the city, but also diverse in politics. She added, “I have to say, we keep decorum and many times we reach a middle ground all together. It’s my job to steer all five of us to consensus.”

“My social welfare training has been very helpful in that…I really do think more social workers should run for office,” she said, citing fellow 2018 Luskin social welfare alumna Caroline Menjivar, who serves in the California State Senate representing the Burbank and San Fernando Valley area.

Upon becoming Mayor, Perez said received a lot of support. In response to a congratulatory social media post, Perez replied, “Thank you so much for the recognition! It’s an absolute honor to serve as Mayor of Burbank and I couldn’t have done it without all the amazing folks I met at Luskin and the amazing faculty who encouraged me!”

Perez also recently made another historic first as mayor of the city.

“I’m youngest mayor we’ve ever had. And now the first pregnant mayor we’ve ever had.”

UCLA Luskin Career Services Team Expands Opportunities for Students Personalized workplace tours add to a robust selection of career-focused resources

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Choosing a fulfilling career path can be a complex journey, often involving trial and exploration. To help our students make informed decisions about their futures, the UCLA Luskin Office of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations (OSAAR) provides direct professional development and networking opportunities at a pivotal stage in our students’ academic and professional lives. 

Luskin students met with panelists and employees at Estolano Advisors and Better World Group.

As part of this commitment, the OSAAR career services team facilitates workplace visits to leading firms in the Los Angeles area, offering students firsthand exposure to potential career paths. The most recent career tour this winter brought students to Estolano Advisors and Better World Group in Downtown Los Angeles—two prominent firms led by Cecilia Estolano MA UP ’91, a UCLA Luskin master of urban planning alumna and an active member of our school’s Board of Advisors.

Estolano Advisors is an award-winning urban planning and public policy firm, and Better World Group specializes in environmental, energy, climate, and conservation policy and advocacy. During the visit, undergraduate public affairs majors and graduate students from urban planning and public policy engaged in immersive experiences, including workplace observations, employee interactions, and a panel discussion featuring professionals from both firms—many of whom are UCLA Luskin alumni. 

The panelists, comprising both recent graduates and seasoned professionals with government and non-profit experience, shared insights on their career trajectories, current projects, and the diverse opportunities within advocacy-related fields. Students gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and rewards associated with these career paths, as well as the interdisciplinary collaboration that drives success in urban planning and consulting. 

For Shay Rivera-Bremner, a third-year public affairs major, the experience was particularly impactful as she begins to explore her post-college options. “It was fascinating to see the possibilities and efforts of combining community resilience, equity, and urban planning to solve problems for various stakeholders,” Rivera-Bremner said. “Talking to professionals from Estolano Advisors and Better World Group with different backgrounds demonstrated how diverse skills and perspectives can shape new ideas in this field. Seeing how these firms trust and empower their employees to lead projects and grow professionally was truly inspiring.” 

OSAAR continues to expand these valuable opportunities, with an upcoming career lunch and learn in April with JCI Worldwide, a renowned public affairs and public relations firm in Santa Monica. The team aims to offer at least one career tour per quarter, supplementing a robust lineup of on-campus career-planning events, including alumni panels, internship and career fairs, personalized career counseling, and professional development workshops. 

“We are thrilled to see such strong student interest in our career tour program,” said Nandini Inmula, Luskin’s assistant director of career services. “Our goal is to create meaningful connections between students and working professionals, especially during this critical transition into the workforce. We are committed to supporting our students every step of the way.” 

Learn more about UCLA Luskin’s career-focused events on our website.