Leif-Eric Easley ’01

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Leif-Eric Easley entered UCLA in 1997, a recipient of both the Regents and Alumni Scholarships, having graduated first in his class from Long Beach Poly and amassing two years of college credit while in high school. Easley’s head started allowed him to dabble in the humanities and minor in mathematics while concentrating on international relations and international political economics. Easley’s passion for global issues motivated him to spend a great deal of time away – sometime far away – from UCLA. He studied in England, France, Holland, and twice in Japan, in addition to traveling to 21 other countries, often representing UCLA at international student conferences. In all, Easley has helped to organize, participate in or speak at over 40 conferences and seminars from New York to Beijing on topics from Asian international security to world trade and the Internet. He has had occasion to interact with heads of state, CEOs, presidents of international organizations and students from every corner of the globe. Easley has also spent one quarter away from UCLA as a research assistant at Henry L. Stimson Center, a renowned international think tank in Washington, D.C.

Beyond his pursuits abroad, Easley is deeply involved in a myriad of extracurricular and service-related activities at UCLA. He served as president of the UCLA Regents Scholar Society (RSS), a group comprising recipients of the highest academic honor that incoming undergraduates can receive. In his first year with RSS, Easley created the RSS Luncheon Program, which has attracted guests such as Chancellor Carnesale and Michael Dukakis. Easley was also a career networking program director for the Student Alumni Association. His other campus-related activities include everything from the Bruin Leadership Project to intramural and recreational sports to Model United Nations.

Despite his frequent travels and extensive campus involvement, Easley managed to maintain a stellar academic record at UCLA. His near perfect GPA, coupled with his leadership on campus and service to the community, earned him the honors of the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Bruin Award, President Clinton’s Student Service Gold Award, the UC President’s Scholarship, and Bruinlife’s Senior of the Year Award. Easley will graduate in June with summa cum laude Latin honors and college honors, as well as departmental honors in political science for writing a senior thesis on US-Japan-China relations under the advisement of Richard Baum. Easley’s excellence in academics, research and community service has earned him recognition at UCLA, just has he earns recognition for UCLA at every international event he attends. His professors agree that he is “someone who will make his mark on the world” – which Easley will undoubtedly do, just as soon as he completes his next ambitious goal: to earn a Ph.D. in international affairs.