Four from SEIS Honored with UCLA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Student Leadership Award

Four students from the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies (SEIS) have been honored by the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) with the UCLA EDI Student Leadership Award, in recognition of exceptional leadership in work that aligns with and contributes to the EDI Office’s mission and priorities. Among seven winners from across UCLA disciplines are SEIS PhD candidates Sonya Brooks and Cameron Burris-Greene; EdD candidate Hernando Sevilla-Garcia; and Education and Social Transformation major Satema Lopez.

Brooks is a UCLA alumna (’19, BA, History), on her way to becoming a triple Bruin. She is on track to earn her master’s in public health in 2025 and plans to defend her doctoral dissertation in the Urban Schooling in 2026. She also holds her master’s of science degree in education policy from Brown University. Brooks currently serves as vice president of the Graduate Student Association, and as a member on the boards of the UC Graduate and Professional Students’ Council, the UCLA Alumni Association, the UCLA Black Alumni Association, and the Coordinating Committee on Graduate Affairs from the Office of the President. In addition, Brooks is currently president of the Black Graduate Student Association.

UCLA alumna Sonya Brooks ('19, BA, History) is on track to become a triple Bruin, with her MPH and PhD in Urban Schooling.

“I knew that to pursue my desire to change systems for the betterment of all, UCLA was the avenue in which to do it,” she says. “Diversity is the reason why UCLA is the best university in the world, and because I began my academic journey here, I wanted to conclude it here as well. Even after graduating from an Ivy League school, the education and opportunities UCLA has provided me are bar none! Thus, my commitment to ensuring and building upon the excellence in diversity at SEIS and UCLA is unyielding.”

Brooks has also served as a StAR (Student Advocate to the Regents) advocating for graduate housing, access to mental health resources and culturally representative therapists, graduate mentorship, graduate student parents and caregivers, and basic needs; helped create the Graduate Division of Education Yield Day, which welcomes newly admitted UCLA graduate students; and created her own organizations that build gardens with students and families in marginalized communities. These projects are centered on intergenerational relationships, as well as another that helps non-traditional adults attend higher education institutions.

“Every event and program I create is uniquely aimed at fostering a more inclusive and sustainable environment at SEIS and UCLA and is designed to ensure no one feels the pain of being ostracized just for being themselves,” says Brooks. “My sincerest hope is to make a difference in the community that is long-lasting and replicable—even if only one person feels a sense of belonging in UCLA spaces because of something I created, I have done well.”

Sevilla-Garcia is a second-year doctoral student in the Educational Leadership Program (ELP). His research explores the intersection of internationalization and diversity, equity and inclusion, specifically looking at how international partnerships increase access for underrepresented minority students to study abroad programs.

Satema Lopez is an undergraduate in the SEIS Education and Social Transformation program, with a minor in American Indian studies.

Sevilla’s professional life has led to pursuit of an advanced degree in education. He is currently a diversity, equity, and inclusiveness consultant at Ernst and Young, working on an internal team to implement strategies for retention of underrepresented minority professionals, and previously worked at The Institute for the International Education of Students as a diversity relations manager and assistant director of a recruiting and advising team, helping Hispanic-serving institutions to implement strategies to increase the number of underrepresented minority students that study abroad.

“I was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and even though I spent the majority of my life here, home is Colombia, and I'm intensely proud to be Colombian,” says Sevilla-Garcia. “I started school at the University of Pennsylvania, and I really struggled there with a sense of belonging and issues of being othered by an institution, by the people at that institution.

“I became interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion because I think it's a way to support those marginalized identities that that are navigating an uncharted territory. Working in this field for almost a decade now has allowed me to support others who look like me and who are going through the same kind of challenges that I went through in the higher education system as a first-generation immigrant.”

Lopez is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in the Education and Social Transformation program at SEIS, with a minor in American Indian studies. A member of the Apache tribe, she has served as  chapter secretary of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) at UCLA, meeting with UCLA deans and faculty to advocate for increased representation and support of Native students in STEM.

Lopez is also Bruin Ambassador for UCLA Undergraduate Admission, which collaborates with UCLA American Indian Recruitment (AIR).

“This year we have been able to outreach to Indigenous youth and prospective students at Sherman Indian High School, United American Indian Involvement (UAII), Pukúu, and Anawakalmekak International Baccalaureate World School,” says Lopez, who has made presentations about the UC application process and shared her positive UCLA experience by leading workshops and tabling at cultural events with AIR at these community sites.

Cameron Burris-Greene is a PhD candidate in the division of Higher Education and Organizational Change.

“Also, I have completed community-engagement internships with AIR and Yolotzonyo [at UCLA]. During my internships, I have had the opportunity to serve as a femtor to support local youth in achieving community goals while encouraging students to pursue higher education.”

Sevilla-Garcia says that while diversity, equity and inclusion may be under political attack, the EDI Student Leadership Award demonstrates UCLA’s commitment to furthering the discussion and opportunity for EDI.

“At a time when DEI is under attack in the Supreme Court [and] in state legislatures, you see UCLA as the number-one public institution, sending a strong statement to this country and really, the world, that as a global institution we're going to double down on EDI [and] that we believe in the power [it] has in transforming an institution and its surrounding community,” he says. “The Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiative is good example of UCLA’s commitment to DEI. But it’s not enough to just [attain] a federal designation, you have to actually embed the number of Latinx students on campus.

“Being a DEI scholar practitioner has taught me that institutions and individuals in power at these institutions need to be held accountable to make progress to serve communities that have been othered and marginalized historically in [spaces] like these,” notes Sevilla-Garcia. “It's developed my understanding that even though change, when it comes to DEI, is slow and is under attack… it’s again, about holding institutions accountable, working with them hand-in- hand. We're not asking for preferential treatment. We're asking for the same opportunities.”

Lopez’s career goal is to address health disparities impacting Indigenous communities and serve as an advocate for health equity through becoming a physician and a professor.

“I am a part of the UCLA McNair Research Scholars Program and my project seeks to understand how we can restore trust in the healthcare system and provide culturally competent care to Indigenous patients,” she says. “My research project is interdisciplinary and draws upon knowledge from my Education and Social Transformation major and my American Indian Studies minor.”

Lopez says that she chose UCLA because, “I was inspired by the positive impact that Native Bruins have within the UCLA community and beyond. During my senior year of high school. I attended a virtual Native youth conference with my younger brother through Visalia Unified School District (VUSD). At the conference a Native Bruin from Visalia, Makailah Hernandez, shared her student experience and encouraged us to apply to UCLA.

“Also, I was inspired to attend UCLA by meeting current Native students at Native Bruin Admit Weekend, hosted by the American Indian Student Association (AISA). I was able to learn more about AISA’s two projects, AIR and Retention of American Indians Now! (RAIN!). As an admitted student, I felt very excited to be joining a welcoming and supportive community on campus.”

Brooks says that she hopes, “This award will inspire those who have been shunned and excluded from spaces to recognize that what is within is not only enough, but they are fearfully and wonderfully made! I hope they establish communities that permeate health, healing, and joy. Drawing from personal experiences of exclusion, which fostered resilience and resourcefulness, I actively support the equity, diversity, and inclusion goals of UCLA SEIS. I am intentional about promoting awareness and education about EDI initiatives while ensuring inclusive dialogue and discussions that respect diverse opinions.

“My phenomenological perspectives allow me to actively listen to and consistently highlight the diverse perspectives of those most impacted by unforgiving and unrelenting systems, which helps me to deepen an understanding that leads to critical and essential engagement. Above all, I hope everyone will integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion into their daily lives and lifestyles, thereby enabling them to create institutions that guarantee no one feels devalued or excluded.”

Sevilla-Garcia is a second-year doctoral student in the Educational Leadership Program (ELP).

Sevilla-Garcia says that he is “humbled and honored” by the UCLA EDI Student Leadership Award.

“I'm really proud honestly, to be recognized not only for my work, but for the communities I serve and for the students I work with,” he says. “For me, it's about holding the door open for the next generation that comes behind me, so I just couldn't be prouder of this recognition. The other part is [that] it’s a confirmation that my parents leaving Colombia and leaving everything behind for me to have an educational and academic opportunities that don't exist anywhere else in the world was the right decision, no matter how hard that was for them, for my family, and for myself.

“I just want to thank my faculty, my program director and everyone for their support, but most importantly, Dr. Robert Cooper who nominated me and is someone I deeply admire. I'm honored and grateful for the support I've been given at UCLA, but most importantly, [I thank] parents for everything they’ve done for me and taking that leap so I can have opportunities like I'm having now at a place like UCLA. This award is dedicated to them.”

Lopez says that she hopes that students across UCLA will be inspired by the efforts of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in bestowing the EDI Student Leadership Award to her and her fellow Bruins.

“I hope the EDI Leadership Award will inspire students to continue advocating for our communities,” she says. “I would like my peers to know that they are not alone in their leadership and EDI advocacy efforts. Together we can truly make a positive impact at UCLA and in the greater community.”