My Last Lecture Award

In 1955, notable UCLA professors were given the chance to put all of their life lessons and advice for students into one “last lecture.”

In 2010, the Alumni Scholars Club (ASC) brought back this tradition through the Marty Sklar My Last Lecture Award. This award was established to honor a UCLA professor who is an inspiration to students.

This spring, ASC and UCLA Residential Life will host an award ceremony where the winning professor will give an inspiring lecture on the question posed to the original lecturers 70 years ago: What would you tell your audience if you had but one lecture to give – your last lecture on this earth?

My Last Lecture 2026

Congratulations to Bonnie Goff ʼ11, M.A. ʼ13, Ph.D ʼ16, winner of the 2026 My Last Lecture Award. Goff is a developmental psychologist whose work focuses on the neurobiological effects of early-life adversity. Drawing from both research and lived experience, her scholarship explores how early environments shape brain development, long-term health and well-being.

Dr. Goff is a triple Bruin, having earned her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA and has served as a full-time lecturer since 2017. In recognition of her impact in the classroom, she received the UCLA Psychology Department Distinguished Teaching Award in 2023 and the university-wide UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award in 2025.

Beyond academia, Dr. Goff is an advocate for mental health awareness, inclusive systems of care and a cultural reexamination of how we understand children. As a mother of two boys, she brings both scientific rigor and deep humanity to her work.

ASC and UCLA Residential Life are excited to host the My Last Lecture ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in De Neve Auditorium. Further details on how to attend the lecture will be available during the spring quarter.

For questions, please email gbrown@support.ucla.edu. 

---