
Biography: Yuko Nagakura is a rising third-year student at UCLA majoring in Business-Economics. She was born in Tokyo, Japan and has lived in Honolulu, San Francisco, and Kyoto before starting at UCLA in 2023. This multicultural background inspires her to connect Japan and the US through technology. Most recently, she was a Global Brand Intern at Logitech, where she worked with various teams on branding initiatives and led the development of an AI chatbot. She is also the Campus Leader for Notion at UCLA. In recognition of her academic performance and experience, Yuko was selected as a William F. Sharpe Fellow. This year, she also guided her team to a first-place victory at the Final Showcase in UCLA’s Social Enterprise Academy program.
Beyond her professional and academic pursuits, Yuko is a passionate advocate for social equity, particularly LGBTQ+ rights. In her free time, she enjoys reading manga and listening to Japanese music.
Future Plans: Yuko aims to use her global background and UCLA education to build a career at the intersection of law, business, and technology. Her experiences working in cross-border businesses have led to an interest in legal frameworks that govern innovation. She plans to attend law school after graduating from UCLA. Her professional goal is to help organizations navigate the intersection of cross-border business, emerging technology, and regulatory compliance.
What this scholarship means to me: I am honored to receive the Donald Lipschutz Scholarship. As a student in the Economics program at UCLA, I’ve been challenged to approach my classes with curiosity and a strong work ethic. Receiving this scholarship encourages me to continue pushing myself academically and build the academic foundation and leadership skills to navigate my future. I’m thankful to Ms. Marugo and the faculty at UCLA who make opportunities like this possible. I look forward to giving back to the Bruin community.