A True Blue Bruin Family — and Their Yellow Labradors: Living UCLA's Mission

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Bruin couple Roxanne Neal '84 and Chris Palomo '12, their son, Brendan Palomo '20, and their yellow Labrador retrievers were profiled by UCLA Newsroom this week.

The couple has a combined 61 years of full-time staff service to UCLA; Neal, a history major, was in charge of new student orientation for many years. Her husband, who majored in anthropology and art history, worked on campus in information technology. Son Brendan, a music alumnus, attended the UCLA Lab School; the family says he practically grew up on campus.

Their dogs — first Clara and then Opal — volunteer with Neal for the UCLA Health People-Animal Connection program (PAC), a volunteer-run and -funded program that uses therapy animals to bring comfort to UCLA patients and families.

Though they are no longer UCLA staff, the couple still treasures their Bruin connections, far and wide.

“Now that Roxanne and I are retired and traveling around, we’re visiting Bruins that we both know who live in other countries and all over, and they’re our Bruin family, too,” Chris Palomo said. “Being in the Bruin family — all of our Bruin families — never stops expanding our world and what we can give back to it.”

Read the full story and watch the video here.