The UCLA Alumni Changemakers 2025 event, “Radical Kinship in Action,” was a half-day event hosted in partnership with Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program. Designed to deepen alumni engagement through values-driven programming, the event centered on community healing and the leadership of UCLA alumna and co-CEO Shirley Torres ’03. Our goal was to move beyond a traditional campus reception celebrating an alumni leader to co-creating, with our featured alumna, a purpose-driven experience rooted in social impact. To accomplish this goal, we developed each aspect of the program in partnership with Torres and the Homeboy staff. We hosted the event onsite at Homeboy headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. This allowed attendees to participate in the organization’s iconic morning staff meeting, tour the facility, learn from Homeboy trainees and leaders, and see some of Homeboy’s signature projects. By hosting a rich learning opportunity in an area where our alumni live and work, we demonstrated UCLA’s commitment to deepening engagement with Los Angeles through our shared values of service, social impact, and optimism.
From the Judges
This was a thoughtful and values-aligned event that brought alumni together around a mission-driven community partner. Judges liked the creative use of venue, the depth of storytelling, and the way the event connected alumni engagement to social impact. It was a strong model for institutions looking to create similar experiences.
