"I'm a Bruin to an extreme degree. I feel this interconnection—past, present and future—a sense of being part of something great.

"That's the way the UCLA Legacy works. At first, it's just an opportunity, a chance open to everyone. It's not passed down from generation to generation. It's awarded to those who work the hardest, those who want it the most.

"Then there's the experience. From the first day, I had an amazing variety of studies. Not just the subjects I wanted to master but things I never would have known about if I hadn't pursued a liberal arts education. The magic really happened when there was an overlap — studying something in one class and coming across it in another or, better yet, seeing it out in the real world. Those multiple connections really stick.

"Just being exposed to the diversity on campus made the world more interesting. 'Hey, we're going to go hear this kind of music tonight.' Something I hadn't been exposed to. That was just as important as the academic stuff.

"My four years at UCLA were a cram course in cultural and intellectual possibility. They set me up to be successful at what I do; they helped make me an adult.

"So, I graduated, and pursued a career that allows me to travel all over the world and explore whatever I'm curious about. Thanks, UCLA. We're done, right?

"Not quite. There's one more piece of the Legacy, especially for those of us whose success has been hugely influenced by our education.

"What if someone never heard of the Legacy? Or, worse yet, what if they were told that UCLA was too big a dream, not for them, out of their reach?

"That's where you come in. Tell them about this place of infinite possibility. Tell them it's theirs for the taking. Pass it on."

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