Black@Anderson

Nkemdilim Chukwuma (’24) and Jeffrey Sullivan (’24)

The importance of community and camaraderie cannot be overstated. We are better together.

When we assumed leadership of BBSA, we agreed to heighten the club’s involvement in admission-related programming, establish a strong, tightly knit Black community, and lean in to supportive cross-club and cross-campus collaborations. As we prepare for Black History Month, we’re excited to highlight the extraordinary value and contributions our community has made and will continue to make at Anderson and beyond. Reminded of the greatness and fun that come from fully embracing diversity, we hold strong to our 2024 theme of Better Together.

Nkemdilim Chukwuma (’24) and Jeffrey Sullivan (’24), Co-Presidents, Black Business Students Association

One of the hallmarks of scholarship is accepting and embracing the notion that the more knowledge and experience one acquires, the more there is to learn and understand. As dean, I’m especially grateful for Anderson’s Black community — students, alumni, faculty, staff and donors — for their guidance, for contributing to our ongoing conversations regarding equity, diversity and inclusion, and for their leadership as we channel conversation into actions. Of equal importance is how, amid tumultuous national and global events, the community has inspired and welcomed allies in the essential work of achieving social justice. Progress comes only when we all work together as partners.

Tony Bernardo

Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management

Alumni Spotlight
 
Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21)
CEO Advisor, EdTech Consultant, Math YouTuber
Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21)

Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21) is a double Bruin and a 2020 John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow. A former genetics researcher, he is an angel investor and advisor to startup CEOs. He founded Bright Minds Tutoring and is now growing his SAT math channel on YouTube. Stephen wears a number of other hats, including as a father of four and president of Anderson Black Alumni.

In his book, Small Beginnings Require Bigger Dreams, Stephen wrote, “In life, you don’t get to choose where you start, but you do get to choose how you’ll finish.” His plan leading the ABA is “to connect us in spaces where we can be heard,” he says. That means new campus alliances with partners Stephen believes want to include diverse voices.

“I want to be an example to people in my community who experience the same challenges I dealt with.”

“I want to be an example to people in my community who experience the same challenges I dealt with.”

Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21

Community Stories

 

Entrepreneur Spotlight

 
Mitchella Gilbert (’21)

Mitchella Gilbert (’21)

Co-Founder and CEO, OYA Femtech Apparel
Alumna, Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson

Mitchella Gilbert is an inclusive product designer, fitness enthusiast and champion of underserved consumers and entrepreneurs. They came to UCLA Anderson to launch a fashion startup and graduated a 2020 John Wooden Leadership Fellow and headline-grabber. Inspired by a goddess, OYA is the first athleisure brand to prioritize feminine health in a non-stigmatizing way. In 2023, Gilbert raised $1.3 million to scale OYA following an oversubscribed pre-seed round. They are a member of the inaugural cohort in the Navigate equity funding program of REI’s Path Ahead Ventures.

Meet Mitchella Gilbert (’21), John Wooden Leadership Fellow and CEO and founder of OYA Femtech Apparel. As a robotics coach to high schoolers and later as a human capital consultant at Deloitte, she worked hard — and worked out even harder.

Listen and Learn
 

Our Community Embraces Diversity

 
UCLA Anderson’s annual Embracing Diversity Week celebrates the strength of our diverse campus community and the power of our connections to reshape our future.
Pathway Guidance Program
UCLA Anderson believes strongly that business schools and the wider business world must become more diverse. To that end, we have created the Pathway Guidance Program, a pipeline development program aimed at supporting future business leaders from diverse backgrounds. We believe that Anderson is well-positioned to lead in this effort and that there is boundless value created when we bring people together across identities, experiences, worldviews and values. The goal of this pilot program:  To make progress toward a truly inclusive and equitable business landscape by building a more diverse pool of business school applicants, providing greater opportunity and genuinely sharing success.

Spotlight: UC President Michael V. Drake

 
Michael V. Drake became the 21st president of the University of California, presiding over its 10 campuses five medical centers and three nationally affiliated labs, with stewardship of more than 280,000 students and 230,000 faculty and staff. The first Black president in UC’s 152-year history, Drake works in service to Californians from all levels of society, who benefit from the university’s research and opportunity, and, in his words, “whose lives are elevated when we get this right.”
 
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Anderson Associations

 
Professional and identity clubs at UCLA Anderson represent our diverse
campus and initiatives.