I had quite a run in the Interracial Dynamics cluster, including more than a dozen years as faculty coordinator (2002-2015). The greatest pleasure I received was hearing student responses to the class, in person, online, or in evaluations. I screen captured one student evaluation containing a common theme: “I learned more applicable information from this class than any other class. So much history, politics, social issues, and icons were covered in this course, and I believe I will hold it in my heart for at least the rest of my career at UCLA. Hopefully, I will grow beyond that.”

Coming in as a freshman, I believe that choosing a cluster and sticking with it is the best decision you can make. That very first day, everyone in the lecture hall is in the exact same position you are: they are all nervous, unsure, and trying to find their footing in college. You get to spend your whole first year in college alongside a group of peers and faculty that you will learn and grow with. That truly is the beauty of the cluster program, and my freshman year would have been incomplete without it."

"I am a second year master's student in Biology at UCLA and I currently teaching Cluster 70W The Evolution of the Cosmos and Life, which is the same course I took during my undergraduate at UCLA. Cluster 70 inspired me to switch my major to science, eventually Biology, and therefore it probably is the most influential class I have taken at UCLA. I graduated with honors, travelled to both Costa Rica and Nicaragua twice, and published three papers during my undergraduate career because of the positive influence that Cluster 70 had on me."

The UCLA Cluster Program transitions freshmen to university life through yearlong learning communities led by a team of distinguished faculty and graduate students. Throughout the year, our faculty and students explore some of the most enduring topics of our time through an interdisciplinary approach that engages participants in active, hands-on, collaborative, and inquiry-based forms of teaching and learning. Clusters teach our students to view the world in context, and instill in our graduates confidence in thinking, writing, and collaboration so that they are positioned for success in college and beyond.