Danny Siegel ’17

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Danny Siegel was elected to serve as the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC). In his role as president Siegel will serve on the board of the UCLA Alumni Association bringing with him USAC experience and a depth of knowledge about the student climate on campus. We sat down with Siegel for a conversation about his new role and building a bridge between students and alumni.

How did you get involved in student government?
I am a political science major and really a public service oriented individual. When I got to UCLA someone recommended I get involved in student government so I started as an intern in the office of the Internal Vice President, which deals with a lot of on-campus institutions. That really sparked my curiosity.

The next year I received an official position in the office and at the end of my sophomore year, I ran for and won the position of General Representative. After, I wanted to continue the momentum and talk about big picture issues that really impact students on a day-to-day basis.

What are some of the student and campus issues that concern you?
I really want to make Westwood a more college-friendly area by establishing relationships between students and alumni community leaders. Alumni and students should work together to create more student discounts, jobs and spaces for student congregation. UCLA has a huge student population which means a huge consumer base for local businesses – I want them to work together and invest in the community.

Can you describe your role as a new alumni board member?
As the undergraduate student body president, I have the privilege of sitting on the board of the Alumni Association. My role is to be the intermediary between students and alumni so we can collaborate for the betterment of the university. It is critical I understand how the Alumni Association works – its various programs and departments like Partnership UCLA and UCLA ONE. Alumni also affect students in real meaningful ways and part of my job is to show how thankful we are for the support they provide. But overall, I think my most important role as an alumni board member is to be able to build bridges among our incredible alumni network and students.

You mentioned how alumni are in a position to help students, can you speak about how students are in a position to help alumni?
I think we have so many successful alumni in so many different professions and they want to hire people who are qualified, smart and diligent, so I say look no further than our graduating UCLA students. With hardworking and intelligent students, I think alumni will want to provide career opportunities for our graduates because they are such a qualified and competitive applicant pool. Ultimately, I believe students and alumni have a lot to offer each other.

What do you think some of the shared priorities are between alumni and students?
Students and alumni really share a sense of excellence. Alumni, I’m sure, are constantly looking for driven individuals to come work for them and students see that need through the assortment of programs we have at the Alumni Association. Exceptional alumni volunteer their time through professional development programs and students excel as a result. UCLA is one of the top academic institutions in the world and I think alumni and students, together, want to continue that level of excellence.

In light of the current presidential race, how can future politicians like you and other individuals involved in student government, alter the landscape of American politics?
I’ve been watching a lot about the presidential race, seen a lot of speeches, and the one thing I have learned from them is you need to be able listen and communicate. I think so much gets lost in translation. To sit down over coffee or lunch and talk about issues that bring you together or issues that might divide you, I think that is really where it starts. Civil discourse is key and showing that you can listen to other perspectives is so important. To not only listen but take in what is being said, learn from it and use it to build towards a consensus, that is what politics needs and hopefully what I can contribute to the Alumni Association board.