• Social Offerings

  • Speed Friending - Kerckhoff Staterooms

  • Board Game Room - Ackerman Union 2412

  • Craft Room - Ackerman Union 3508

  • Wii Games - Ackerman Union 3517

  • Scavenger Hunt - Pick up a hard copy from the registration/information desk or use the online version!

• Wellness Offerings

  • Anti-social/quiet Room - Kerckhoff 3L

  • Meditation Space - Ackerman 3rd Floor near the elevator

  • Reflection Space - Ackerman SE Exterior Corner 1st Floor

Julia Bigwood, 3rd year Ph.D. student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Julia Bigwood, 3rd year Ph.D. Student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Julia is studying photosynthesis in the tropical rainforest and the global carbon cycle. When she’s not in Costa Rica for research she enjoys running, finding new coffee shops, and singing in the UCLA Choral. 

Ivy Kwok, 4th year Ph.D. student in Civil & Environmental Engineering

Ivy has a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, & Development Biology and M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UCLA, and she is currently continuing at her alma mater as a fourth-year PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering. At UCLA, she is very grateful to have found a nurturing family within the Graduate Society of Women Engineers. Outside of the lab, you'll often find her aboard public transit, as she enjoys going on food adventures with loved ones, pogo-sticking, attending her favorite disco ball dance workout, and staying active in the sustainability community!

Stefany Mena, 5th year Ph.D. student in Psychology 

Stefany is a 5th year PhD student developing new statistical methods for text mining. As a formerly undocumented, latina student her journey towards a PhD has been as rewarding as it has been trying--and she is excited to leap into her next adventure. When she is not working, she is either rollerblading around the city, and or playing board games.

Noelle Mitchell, 4th year Ph.D. student in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Noelle Mitchell, 4th year Ph.D. Student in Chemistry & Biochemistry My name is Noelle and I am a 4th year graduate student in the chemistry department concentrating in chemical biology. I am originally from Seattle, and moved to California for my undergrad, and went to Pomona College. I am currently studying methods to measure neurotransmitters in real time, and in the future am interested in studying substance use disorders. I hope to be involved in education and outreach in the future.

Priyanka Sigar, 3rd year Ph.D. student in Neuroscience

My name is Priyanka. I am in my third year as a graduate student in the Neuroscience department, focusing on anxiety and autism research. Hailing from Mumbai, India, I made my journey to California to pursue my Ph.D. My current research delves into the brain signal variability in young individuals with anxiety and autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, I am deeply committed to participating in educational and outreach efforts.

Jasmine Akiyama-Kim, 8th year Ph.D. candidate in Classics 

Jasmine Akiyama-Kim is an Asian-American from Korean, Japanese, and Dutch ancestries. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of Classics. Her research focuses on historical texts of the Roman principate as well as issues of succession, mimesis, genealogy, and time.

Sonya Brooks, 3rd year Ph.D. student in Higher Education and Organizational Change

Sonya Brooks, M.S., a Ph.D. student in the Urban Schooling division of the Education Department and MPH student in the School of Public Health specializing in Community Health Sciences, is a devoted mother, educator, scholar, advocate, and founder of Soil 2 Soil and We Are Our Mother's Gardens, which are community-based programs in the Bay Area and Los Angeles that build gardens in schools that are pushed to the margins. She engages with students on how to mitigate food apartheid while using their agency to create healthier worlds for their families and communities. Her research interests lie at the intersections of education, policy, environmental justice, law, and community health sciences.

Kenny Clarke, 6th year Ph.D. student in European Languages and Transcultural Studies (French & Francophone Studies Track)

Kenny is a Caribbean-American who hails from Boston, Massachusetts. Her love for linguistics lead her to spend some of her formative years in Europe, studying Afropean trap music. Her dissertation focuses on French Early Modern Utopias and how the four western elements (earth, water, fire, and air) are portrayed inside and outside the utopia.

Samira Khabbazzadeh-Rashti, 1st year MPH student

Samira Khabbazzadeh-Rashti is an incoming MPH student at UCLA with a background in Medical Anthropology. Her past research focused on experiences with Type 2 Diabetes in Latine/x households of the San Fernando Valley. Samira's current passions align with issues of food & shelter injustices, structural violences of global capitalist systems, and community wellness/mutual aid initiatives. 

Karely Amaya Rios, 2nd year M.A. student in Public Policy

Karely Amaya Rios is a first-generation undocumented Latina pursuing her Masters's in Public Policy at UCLA. Karely is a transformational leader who grew up in a low-income immigrant community in Southern California, where anti-immigrant policies affected the livelihood of her family and community. She is passionate about advocating for those who are marginalized and hopes to build bridges between policies and communities of color.