Michelle Lockary ’06

You want me to summarize what the scholarship has meant to me in just three sentences? I can’t do that. Instead, I’d like to share my three most distinct memories.

At the end of State Finals, I received a souvenir photo from our Welcome Day scavenger hunt. It included a note that made reference to things I’d shared with people in the past 24 hours, and I was amazed. I previously thought I was just one of 50 incoming scholars but that note made me realize that I was not a number and that there were people at UCLA who took an interest in me. This was a great comfort, considering I was going to be the only person from my high school coming to UCLA. In fact, the only person I recognized on move-in day was someone I’d met on the plane ride to State Finals.

At the beginning of my freshman year, I was climbing the stairs in JWAC for one of the first times and Roz Scherer ’76, [director, Alumni Scholarships], was coming down the stairs. I recognized her as one of the people in charge of State Finals and she stopped and said, “Hi Michelle! How are you liking it so far here at UCLA?” The fact that she remembered my name several months later and took an interest in how I was adjusting made me realize that there were people at the Alumni Association who truly cared about me. This meant so much, considering I was from a small suburban town 350 miles away with no family close by. Roz was not the exception to the rule either; upon meeting my Gold Shield Alumnae mentor, Paula Shuman ’65, she immediately offered me a ride to the airport anytime I needed it or to bring me chicken soup if I ever got sick.

Fast forward four years. After a long wait, I finally got the job offer I wanted. After sharing my news with my parents, I e-mailed my coordinators, who had been rooting for me and asking for interview updates and details every time they saw me. Within 24 hours, one of my coordinators sent me a congratulations card. ASC has provided a support network that hasn’t been matched anywhere else on campus.

It’s absolutely wonderful to be able to deduct $1,000 automatically from every tuition bill, but it will be the relationships and memories that I’ve made that will stay with me for years to come.

One more thing – when I was interviewing for jobs, people often asked why I chose UCLA. I discussed ASC and Alumni Scholarships. Then, inevitably, throughout the course of the interview, I would use my Alumni Scholars Club Executive Board position as an example of my leadership skills, and I would refer to my internship with the Alumni Association in discussing my qualifications. I sometimes would apologize for continually referring to the Association, justifying it by saying that “the Association has been such a big part of my experience here at UCLA.”