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.

When I was evaluating MBA programs, I prioritized a community where I would be encouraged to unapologetically be my best, authentic, Black self. After attending UCLA Anderson’s Embracing Diversity Week as a prospective student, I knew Anderson was that place for me. Things came full circle two years and two EDWs later when I had the honor of kicking off our Embracing Diversity conference alongside Dean Gary Fraser. Addressing a room full of diverse candidates inspired me to continue to drive change and to think fearlessly in the communities I serve. A personal highlight has been serving the Anderson community as the first Black male student body president, an opportunity and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. In this role, I work closely with other student leaders to redefine what it means to be equitable, diverse and inclusive at Anderson. There’s no place I’d rather call home.

Kendall Brown (’23)

President, Anderson Student 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 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

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.