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As a youth, I watched my mother spend nearly a decade taking classes at West Los Angeles College—one after another—while simultaneously raising me and my sister. She earned her associate's degree with a 4.0 GPA, transferred into a pre-law program, graduated with a J.D., started a successful law practice and taught as a law professor—all while being our supermom. As I helped her hang her diploma just before her firm's grand opening, I began to understand that her journey wasn't just about each c

Zuleika Bravo came to UCLA with two things most other students don't have: a decade of work experience and a four-year-old daughter. When Zuleika transferred to UCLA from Antelope Valley College in 2018, she immediately felt lost. As a first-generation, nontraditional, parenting student, Zuleika was worried about finding other Bruins who shared her story. Like many nontraditional students, Zuleika was faced with institutional and social barriers others never experience. In particular, she desc

It's been a year since I joined the UCLA Student Affairs Media Team, and I vividly remember my onboarding process. My first meeting was at the Tom Bradley building on the west side of campus, known as "The Hill." When I drove into the parking structure, I parked next to a sleek, all-black sports car. What was most notable, was the trunk logo had been replaced with the Batman symbol. Intrigued by the detail, I continued to admire the car when a silhouette in a trench coat and shiny black boots e