UC Inspires Honors UCLA Alumni
The University of California Regents gathered on the UCLA campus for their May 5 meeting, where UC Regent Chair Janet Reilly ’86 celebrated the impact of UC graduates as part of "UC Inspires: Leveraging the Power of UC Alumni."
The “UC Inspires” series was launched in 2024 to showcase the exceptional public impact of the University from its classrooms and research laboratories to its athletic fields and community town squares. At this Regent’s meeting, four prominent alumni, two from UCLA, shared how their UC education impacted their lives.
In introducing the panel, Reilly said, “As a fellow alum whose time at UCLA helped shape me and transform my life, I'm especially pleased to welcome our four distinguished alumni who will now share how their UC experience influenced their journeys and how we can continue to amplify that impact for future generations. Their achievements demonstrate the enduring return on public investment, not only economically, but in advancing the broader public good.”
UC Regent and former Alumni Association President Ann Wang ’13 introduced entrepreneur and CEO Brian Lee ’93, J.D. ’96, the co-founder of LegalZoom, The Honest Company, ShoeDazzle and Arena Club. Lee holds a bachelor's degree in business economics and a juris doctor from UCLA.
Lee says that his father’s admiration for basketball coach John Wooden inspired him to attend UCLA. Among his most memorable experiences was a class he took outside his business economics major on poet Federico García Lorca. He said the poet's ability to "take the mundane and make it beautiful" deeply resonated with him. He also credited his time living in Saxon Suites with a diverse group of roommates for expanding his cultural horizons, saying “[It was] awesome! I never experienced anything like that. Learning about their different cultures and their traditions. I tried all their foods. This was eye opening for me. It was incredible. I had so much fun at UCLA.”
When it came time to graduate, Lee only applied to one law school. Fortunately, he was accepted to the UCLA School of Law, where he met Brian Liu, J.D. ’96. In 2001, the business partners founded the successful online legal technology and services company LegalZoom.
Regent Robert "Bob" Myers ’98 played basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1993 to 1997. He introduced broadcast journalist Cari Champion ’98. Formerly an anchor at ESPN, she currently hosts the podcast Naked Sports with Cari Champion. At UCLA, Champion majored in English, minored in mass communications and was a writer for the Daily Bruin.
As Champion looked back on her time at UCLA she shared, “I begin with telling you a story about labels. People use labels to describe someone or to put packaging on a product and often if you are mislabeled, you're handled wrong. For me, I think the one thing that I remember most about going to UCLA is that I was always labeled correctly. I was always put in a position to succeed.”
Champion participated in UCLA’s freshman summer Academic Advancement Program (AAP). She says, “What it did for me is invaluable. Those two weeks really changed my life and set me up for success. And I look back at all of my experiences at UCLA and there was always someone, whether it was a counselor, a professor or a friend, giving me that help and that encouragement that I didn't even know that I needed.”
The UCLA alumni were joined by UC Davis grad, master chef and author Martin Yan ’73, M.S. ’77, and UCSF grad and former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.S. ’77, M.D. ’79.
The alumni panel was followed by a celebration of the UCLA Bruins Women’s Basketball NCAA Championship Team. Coach Cori Close, M.Ed. ’95 honored the team for their growth both on and off the court. “I hope when you see our team, you will see that champions really are made here, but always from the inside out. I want you to know that we take such pride in representing our incredible UC system. We are really proud of what we've been able to do on the court, and we think we're just beginning. But even more is the way in which we handle our business in the classroom and hopefully impact our community in a way that makes you proud.”
In closing, Reilly thanked the alumni saying, “You really epitomize inspiration and reflect the values of this great institution of service and curiosity, lifelong learning and community service. We are so grateful to have you here and to hear your stories.”
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