Building community across generations: Environmental Science Alumni Reunion Celebrates 20 Years
UCLA Environmental Science alumni, students, and faculty gathered to celebrate the program’s 20th anniversary, highlighting its lasting impact and the strong community of environmental professionals it continues to inspire.
On May 30th, UCLA’s Environmental Science B.S program alumni returned to campus to reconnect, meet students, and celebrate the community that helped shape their lives.
Hosted by the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES), the reunion brought together graduates from across regions and generations of the program. Throughout the day, the alums, students, and faculty participated in activities that will continue to strengthen the environmental science community for years to come.
The celebration began with a complimentary lunch on “The Hill,” where the alumni lived as undergrads, at the highest-rated dining hall, B-plate. The Alumni appreciated the opportunity to return to their old stomping grounds and reconnect with campus life. For many attendees, being back in this space brought many memories, allowing conversation to pick up quickly between alumni.
However, reminiscence wasn’t the only item on the agenda; alums also had the opportunity to engage in the hands-on work that has long been essential to the Environmental Science experience. Managing Director of Sage Hill, Andy Kleinhesselink, led a volunteer service session in which alumni worked alongside current Environmental Science Undergraduates on native habitat restoration and biodiversity assessments.
The day concluded with a networking happy hour at the James West Alumni Center, where they engaged in activities to jumpstart discussion about careers and the value gained from their undergraduate years at the IoES.
Conversations reflected the remarkable range of careers pursued by Environmental Science alumni. Attendees represented government agencies, nonprofit organizations, consulting firms, research institutions, educational organizations, and private industry, demonstrating the versatility of the interdisciplinary education they received.
Despite the diversity of professional paths, a common thread emerged throughout all the graduates: a shared commitment to understanding and addressing environmental challenges. A recurring sentiment among attendees was gratitude for the chance to bond with fellow professionals who understand the unique hurdles and rewards of environmental work. Given the current climate, this gathering provided a much-needed boost to the morale of dedicated environmental advocates.
The event also served as a valuable platform for recent graduates navigating the difficulties of today’s environmental job market. The graduates reported gaining numerous valuable LinkedIn connections and discovering job openings from more established alums.
The attendees’ response made one thing clear: people appreciate opportunities to stay connected. The Alumni expressed enthusiasm for future gatherings, mentorship opportunities, and continued engagement with both current students and fellow graduates.
The reunion celebrated more than the program’s 20th anniversary. It showed the lasting impact of a program designed to build how the next generation thinks about and responds to environmental problems. Today, the alumni carrying that mission forward are spread across every sector, every coast, and every corner of the environmental field.
For one day, they came back to UCLA to reaffirm the community that first brought them together. The result was a powerful reminder that one of the greatest legacies of the IoES’s Environmental Science B.S. program is the enduring network of people committed to creating a better future.
MEET THE AUTHOR
