Dear friends,

Thank you so much for supporting the Undergraduate Research Centers during our 2024 Undergraduate Research Week crowdfunding campaign. Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $5,000 to fund our undergraduate researchers and the innovative programs that support them. We’re writing to share about one such program, which debuted this summer for the first time.

The UCLA Summer Fellows Program supports undergraduates doing summer research with a faculty mentor in humanities, arts and social sciences. In addition to resources, support and a scholarship, the program provides weekly workshops and activities to foster students’ personal and professional development.

One researcher, Javier M., is working on a project critiquing the nationalist concept of Aztlán which emerged from the Chicano Movement based on Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. He found the program and research significant to his growth and development as not only a student, but a person as well.

“It takes immense effort to intensively study a topic and be able to identify major themes or ideas across the literature, but the tenacity and academic skills involved in research carry over to all parts of life,” Javier said.

Javier started his research journey in Research Revealed, an entry level research preparation program for undergraduates, also hosted through URC-HASS.

In addition to support with research, the program’s goal is also to ensure these researchers have a clear path forward after graduation. Students and meet as a group weekly to cover topics time management, working with mentors, giving presentations, and preparation for graduate school and future careers.

Even if students don’t pursue research after graduation, Javier feels that research experience benefits everyone.

“Though research may not be for everyone, the skills involved in generating new knowledge is applicable in nearly every facet of life which I feel students would benefit from,” Javier said. “Successfully conducting research requires good time management, writing, and critical thinking skills at a bare minimum which only prepares students for life after college.”

The UCLA Summer Fellows Program and the URC’s many other opportunities are only possible thanks to the ongoing generosity of you and others in our UCLA research community. You can continue your support here to ensure even more students can make discoveries happen.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we are over 50% to our fundraising goal to support undergraduate research at UCLA!  

Due to this amazing surge in gifts, we’re extending our campaign until Saturday, June 8th. 

In case you missed it, this is your last chance to get an exclusive URW t-shirt, now for only $15 thanks to a generous matching gift!

Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our students. If you want to help even more, please share our campaign with your friends and family. Every gift, no matter the size, makes a huge difference for our undergraduate researchers! 

Support us: spark.ucla.edu/URW24 

Thank you for your continued support! 

Dear supporter, 

Thank you again for your donation to the Undergraduate Research Centers! 

If you chose the $25 URW T-shirt perk: You can pick your T-shirt by visiting the URC-Sciences office at Life Sciences 2121 during business hours Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information on URC office hours, please visit our website.

If you chose the $35 mailed T-shirt perk: Please make sure that you included your preferred T-shirt size and mailing address when making your gift. If you did not include that information and still would like us to mail your shirt, please contact us at uedevelopment@support.ucla.edu and send us that information.

We also welcome you to send us a photo with your T-shirt to show off your Bruin Researcher pride and help support the campaign! 

Thanks again!