Highlights from
2025 Class Notes
Class Notes chronicles important events in the lives of UCLA alumni – from changes in employment to accolades for achievement, from new Bruin unions to the passing of our valued UCLA family members. These Bruins are a small subset of the many whose accomplishments and memories we honored in 2025.
Zuriel Oduwole '22
Zuriel Oduwole ’22, a global advocate for peace, education and gender equality, has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. A Los Angeles native, Oduwole earned a bachelor of science in cognitive science at 19 and is now pursuing a doctoral degree at USC focused on global risk and international affairs. She has received the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Leadership Award, the Forbes Woman Global Achievers Award and the CARE Award. Beginning at age 13, Oduwole has engaged world leaders on conflict prevention and women’s rights and has taught filmmaking to young women across Africa."
David Greenwood '79
David Greenwood ’79, a UCLA basketball great and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Famer, passed away June 8 at age 68 after battling cancer. A two-time first-team All-America selection, Greenwood was UCLA’s first back-to-back honoree since Bill Walton and a four-year starter who averaged 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds while earning a history degree. The 6-foot-9 forward was selected second overall in the 1979 NBA draft and enjoyed an 11-year professional career, including an NBA championship with Detroit in 1990. After retiring, Greenwood coached at Verbum Dei High School, leading the program to two CIF state titles.
Daniel Mayeda '79, J.D. '82
Daniel Mayeda ’79, J.D. ’82 has been named Alumnus of the Year by the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA. A former chair and founding board member of APA UCLA, Mayeda has long demonstrated deep commitment to the university and community advocacy. A former UCLA School of Law clinical professor, he helped found the Documentary Film Legal Clinic in 2018, preparing students to provide pro bono legal services to independent documentary filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Mayeda practiced media and entertainment law for more than 30 years and has held leadership roles with East West Players, Comcast’s Diversity Advisory Council and multiple nonprofit boards.
Mike de la Rocha '00
Mike de la Rocha ’00 will release his new book, "Sacred Lessons: Teaching My Father How to Love," on June 3. In the memoir, de la Rocha examines how inherited ideas of manhood shaped his relationships with his father, family and himself, guiding readers through themes of self-discovery, forgiveness and love. He reflects on his father’s legacy as a beloved professor who influenced thousands of students yet struggled with emotional vulnerability at home. Through deeply personal stories, de la Rocha explores intergenerational trauma, the harms of toxic masculinity and the power of breaking cycles to rediscover connection.
Julie Bernard M.A. ’01, Ph.D. ’08
Julie Bernard M.A. ’01, Ph.D. ’08 has been awarded the third Lloyd Cotsen Prize for Lifetime Achievement in World Archaeology and Mentorship by the UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. A UCLA anthropology alumna and professor at East Los Angeles College, Bernard received the $50,000 prize in recognition of her sustained contributions to archaeological research, mentorship and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the field. Teaching at ELAC since 2008, she has impacted countless community college students through her engaging pedagogy, California-based research, and leadership of field schools and study abroad programs. Part of the award will support student research at ELAC.
Beth Bloom '99
Beth Christine Bloom ’99 passed peacefully Saturday, Nov. 15, at age 48. Born in West Covina, California, she attended Christ Lutheran Church and School and West Covina High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology and English from UCLA. Bloom built a rich, writing-centered career that included freelance work and travel, as well as service with the UCLA History Project from 2004 to 2011, where she rose to associate director and helped bring “UCLA: The First Century” to publication. Known for her warmth and deep humanity, she is survived by her mother, Ronea, and siblings Jay, Paul and Heather.
Donn Moomaw '54
Donn Moomaw ’54, a UCLA football legend who later devoted his life to ministry, passed away Feb. 10 in Pasadena at age 93. A dominant two-way player from 1950–52 under coach Henry “Red” Sanders, Moomaw earned multiple team MVP honors, was named Lineman of the Year as a senior and became one of the greatest linebackers in program history; his No. 80 is retired. Though drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Rams, he chose a pastoral calling, serving as senior pastor of Bel Air Presbyterian Church and offering invocations at multiple presidential inaugurations.
La’Tonya Rease Miles, M.A. '99, Ph.D. '04
La’Tonya Rease Miles, M.A. ’99, Ph.D. ’04, has released her new memoir, "Smart Girl," which redefines first-generation and Black student narratives through the lens of mass media, pop culture and sports. A first-gen graduate, Miles designed innovative programs at UCLA and Loyola Marymount University to support first-gen students. She is a co-founder of the Black First Gen Collective and My Tribe Media and a leading advocate for nontraditional learners. An English scholar and pop culture enthusiast, Miles explores identity, resilience and representation in her work and recently reflected on her UCLA journey in a UCLA Newsroom feature.
Alireza Mehrnia, Ph.D. '06, MBA '13
Alireza Mehrnia, Ph.D. ’06, MBA ’13, an engineer and inventor with more than 20 U.S. patents, has authored a science-based technothriller, "Artificial Intelligence – A Martian Odyssey." Mehrnia has spent more than two decades in industry, including nearly eight years at SpaceX leading digital signal processing design for Starlink satellite chips, and has also taught engineering at UCLA. His debut novel blends hard science, speculative philosophy and character-driven drama to explore AI, synthetic biology and Mars colonization through technically plausible ideas. Structured with 24 chapters and extensive appendices, the book probes questions of consciousness, identity and the future of human–machine coexistence.
Linda Burnes Bolton, M.N. '72, M.P.H. '76, Dr.P.H. '88
Linda Burnes Bolton, M.N. ’72, M.P.H. ’76, Dr.P.H. ’88, a nationally recognized nursing leader and UCLA alumna, passed away Jan. 11 at age 76. Inspired by her UCLA training, Burnes Bolton devoted more than 50 years to advancing community health, nursing leadership and health equity. She rose from staff nurse to chief nursing officer and vice president for nursing at Cedars-Sinai and served as president of several major organizations, including the American Academy of Nursing and the National Black Nurses Association. Her many honors included multiple lifetime achievement awards, induction into the National Academy of Medicine and recognition as a Living Legend in nursing.
If you would like your story or that of another Bruin celebrated in a Class Note, please visit our website or email us at classnotes@support.ucla.edu. Please indicate your name and include the subject’s name and class year(s). And, if possible, email us a photo that we can use for the story.
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