Alumni Interviews

Greg Buonaccorsi

Greg Buonaccorsi There’s a lot more that goes on at a Dodgers game than Clayton Kershaw striking out batters or employees serving hot dogs to spectators. Behind the scenes lies an intricate operation comprised of hard-working, innovative individuals co …

Aaron Behle

Aaron Behle “Never pass up on a free meal” might sound like cheeky advice for a college student struggling to get by but for Aaron Behle it means something entirely different. In fall of his Junior year in the UCLA Economics program, the family member …

Ryan Snyder

Ryan Snyder Ryan Snyder graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, and later returned to earn a master’s degree in Urban Planning. As an undergraduate, Snyder was interested in a wide variety of subjects, from Geography to Anthropology. …

Jason Mozingo

Jason Mozingo Jason Mozingo faced the same decision many prospective UCLA students face: enroll at Berkeley or go to school in Westwood. But for Jason, whose parents had gone to UCLA, the decision to become a Bruin wasn’t just an easy one, it was a rew …

Peter Moglia

Peter Moglia On a brisk fall day in 1985, Peter Moglia entered UCLA’s campus as a nervous yet excited freshman, much like the rest of us. He was basking in his recent acceptance on appeal, prompting him to turn down two prestigious military academies, …

Steven Laub

Steven Laub Like many of our Bruins, former alumni Steven Laub embodies the traits of passion, determination, and resilience. These are the very same traits that shaped his illustrious career as a former consultant and top executive at numerous public …

James Min

James Min James Min, a UCLA alumnus, is the founder of Telos Advisors – a boutique investment bank with offices in Santa Monica and San Francisco. During his undergraduate years at UCLA, James obtained his Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Business Econ …

Claudia Martinez

Claudia Martinez Troy Aikman isn’t the only Bruin who has helped Fox Sports become one of the leaders in sports entertainment. Behind the scenes, another UCLA graduate works tirelessly on the sports fans know and love. Claudia Martinez hails from the S …

Greg Passani

Greg Passani UCLA alumnus Greg Passani’s foray into the investment banking industry was anything but typical. Currently an Associate at Intrepid Investment Bankers, Passani received his B.A. in Economics at UCLA in 2011, after which he went on to work …

Michael Terry

Michael Terry Terry emphasizes the importance of learning in diverse settings and engaging with people of different views and backgrounds, especially since UCLA epitomized his UCLA alumnus Michael Terry’s sprint in the business world is comparable to h …

Kathryn Brewer

“Kathryn, you’re in!” declared the UCLA admission officer as she immediately recognized the voice on the other side of the phone. Why could an admission officer, who dealt with thousands of students each year, recognize a voice so quickly? It was becau …

Mila Skulkina

Mila Skulkina Mila Skulkina, class of 2001 has lived a storied life. In this profile she shares her UCLA story and how lessons learned on campus have impacted her career. When Mila was a teenager in the 1990s, she and her father emigrated to the United …

Xin Lin

Xin Lin Xin’s LinkedIn page, consisting of names that commonly adorn the tallest skyscrapers in Manhattan, reflects the illustrious career of the young alumnus.  In the seven years following her departure from the Hills of Westwood, she has achieved wh …

Allyson Benas

Allyson Benas, currently Head of Product at Holotech Studios, had many worlds to navigate before she levelled up to her current position. As Benas recounts, she started her first year as an undergraduate at UCLA open to the numerous opportunities it ha …

Claudia Toussaint

Claudia Toussaint Some of the most powerful influences in our lives emanate from things we cannot see – legal frameworks, for example. The impact of the law is pervasive not only in our personal lives, but also in the intricacies of our economy, and Cl …

April Franco

April Franco Entrepreneurship and academic research are two words that are rarely used in the same context. However, Dr. April Franco’s illustrious career as a research economist seamlessly blends these two worlds together, producing some of the most i …

Terry Kramer

Terry Kramer can be best described as a master of all trades. He has succeeded in a variety fields including business, public affairs and academia. The epitome of a leader, Terry Kramer has shown the world what it means to be a Bruin. Terry Kramer Star …

Sahil Punamia

Sahil Punamia Like many of UCLA’s students, Sahil hails from northern California growing up in the quaint suburbs of the Bay Area. Growing up in high school, he was actively involved with his marching band, playing the alto saxophone and piano. Interes …

Barry Eggers

Barry Eggers (’85) is a founding partner at Lightspeed Ventures, a venture capitalist firm which focuses largely on IT and Technology start-ups (If that name rings a bell, it is because a few years ago they seed funded a little known company called Sna …

Mark Kingdon

Mark Kingdon If you took a student from a painting class, and dropped him into a venture capital firm, you probably would expect him to struggle. After all, fine arts and economics seemingly have very few similarities, and their educational paths could …

Lloyd Greif

Lloyd and Renée Greif, and their children (Ben, Nick and Lauren) at Bruin Woods. UCLA is ranked as the top American school for economic mobility, and there is no better example than that of Lloyd Greif. Once a full-time student and employee, he worked …

David DeWolf

David DeWolf We often hear the classic phrase, “Bruin born, Bruin bred, Bruin til the day I’m dead.” Even our first experience at orientation–that almost baptismal dip into the inverted fountain–is meant to reinforce such adages. Tens of thousands ca …

Gary Ghazarian

Gary Ghazarian The allure of the investment industry has long attracted numerous successful UCLA alumni. For Gary Ghazarian, it was no exception. With over 25 years’ experience in the field, he currently serves as the Director of Operations for Marketa …

Karen Williams

Karen Williams Karen Williams’ success as a businesswoman, educator, and leader are testament to her ability to make smart calculated decisions, and her self-described scrappiness. Her long, winding, and triumphant journey has taken her through many pa …

Michael Powell

Michael Powell Many of us Bruins reminisce on the moment we decided to come to UCLA. For Dr. Michael Powell this moment occurred at the very top of Janss steps. Experiencing the beauty of campus and Los Angeles from this UCLA gem made it clear that UCL …

Julie Lee

Julie Lee You may have not heard of Julie Lee, but you have definitely heard music on Vevo. A founding member of Vevo, Julie helped revolutionize the music video industry. Immigrating to the United States as a child, Julie embarked on a journey that ha …

Valentina Glaviano

Valentina Glaviano grew up in Sacramento, California in a first-generation Italian American household. In high school, she was a stellar student and was admitted into plenty of colleges come senior year. The commitment process, however, was what she de …

Andrew Demetriou

Andrew Demetriou Long before Andrew Demetriou became a partner at Lamb & Kawakami, a prestigious law firm in Los Angeles, he spent hours Bunche Hall like the thousands of students currently at UCLA. His subsequent career as a successful attorney in …

David K. Levine

David K. Levine Professor David K. Levine graduated from UCLA in 1977, earning a dual degree of Bachelors in Mathematics and a Masters in Economics. He was enrolled as a UCLA student during high school, but he later studied at Harvard University for a …

Deborah Feinerman

UCLA alumnus Deborah Feinerman, current Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and Legal at Paramount Worldwide Distribution, exemplifies the powerful woman—but she didn’t follow a sure-footed path to her success. After Deborah received a B.A. in …

Lauren Lucido Watkins

Ever since the 5th grade, Lauren Lucido Watkins knew she wanted to be a Bruin. There was no rhyme or reason, nor strong family legacy ties – Lauren was simply drawn to the prestige that came with the name and the energy that radiated from everyone who …

Anastasia Bogdanova

Anastasia Bogdanova “All these equations and graphs, how often am I going to use them at work anyway?” More likely than not, this question will have crossed your mind at some point in your undergraduate career, especially when you’re scratching your he …