The countdown to graduation begins with Spring Sing, UCLA's oldest musical tradition. A treat for all, the show is incredibly precious to fourth-years who may be seeing it for the last time as a student. For the second year in a row, the show was live-streamed and watched across the nation. Click the link to dance with 2021's award-winning act, Silva.

A pandemic can't stop Bruin Pride. Generations of students and alumni returned to Westwood virtually for a week-long celebration of spirit. Bruins decorated their home and office space with displays of blue and gold delight. Many answered the call to make a blood donation. Bruins ran, walked and jogged (on the treadmill counted), adding to the goal of 1919 miles before the game. An alumni panel answered students’ career questions. There was a virtual hip-hop dance class that raised donations for pediatric aids. Social media challenges and an online trivia night entertained. On Homecoming Week, Bruins answered the rallying call. The stands may have been empty, but our hearts were full.

For 53 years, UCLA students and alumni worldwide have enjoyed the tradition of small gatherings over three nights for dinner and conversation. The pivot to a digital format created opportunities to connect Bruins in bold new ways. No longer limited by proximity, the planners could focus on innovation and invention. For the first time, parents of undergraduate students got to meet and share parent dreams. Dinners were built around topics and affinities that allowed Bruins to meet with others who shared their interest. Bruins in Tokyo and San Francisco may have virtually broken bread together. We learned that sustenance is more than bread and water, it is the hope and inspiration people with a shared history can manifest in an online setting that lets us know that Dinners for 12 Strangers shines bright.

Another innovation this season was a digital D12 cookbook, A Taste of Westwood, with recipe entries from students, alumni and campus restaurants.

Los Angeles is the bedrock of the entertainment industry for film, music and television. Whether in person or, this year, in front of a computer screen, like-minded students and industry professionals find a connection forged in a mutual love for the field. While attendance numbers were down slightly from previous years, the Zoom event attracted 75 alumni: actors, producers, directors, writers, network executives and lawyers in 75 breakout rooms with more than 300 students. Alumni requested and received a networking portion before the event began, and students chose their mentor match. A bonus of the virtual setting was that, for the first time, the event was open to alumni volunteers outside the Los Angeles area.

Even without sound, the six-second Instagram stories below show the pure joy on the night of the event from the student and mentor points of view as they met in their breakout rooms.

Behind every student who believes they can achieve anything is a parent who believed first. Parent and Family Town Halls provide families of undergraduate students a virtual space to hear from and interact with campus administrators addressing trending topics and concerns relating to COVID-19 and campus operations. As the transition to remote learning carried through the 2020-2021 academic year, families needed timely resources to support their students through various topics that spanned academics, mental health, and the wealth of resources and programming now offered by departments online.

There is a warmth and a rhythm to these twice-monthly informal meetups for parents and families seeking community with their peers. These drop-in office hour-style events provide a virtual space to ask questions and chat with the Parent & Family Association team and other UCLA staff.