UCLA’s ALA Student Chapter Fundraises for Spectrum Scholarship

In support of the ALA’s Spectrum Presidential Initiative the ALA Student Chapter at UCLA recently organized a successful BBQ for Spectrum Scholars fundraiser at the home and garden of Tim Ahern and former CLA President Cindy Mediavilla. The UCLA Student Chapter brought together nearly 30 MLIS graduate students, professors, and library professionals from our community to support this important scholarship to increase diversity within the our profession. We are proud to say that our BBQ helped raise more than $1,000 for the ALA’s Spectrum Scholarship Program.

Among our distinguished guests were numerous professional librarians including Los Angeles City Librarian, Martín Gomez. Mr. Gomez was appointed City Librarian by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2009 and we were honored that he could attend and show support for the fundraiser. Also in attendance was one of our own library science graduate students, Jeannie Chen! Jeannie is a former UCLA Spectrum Scholar who came out to support our fundraiser. Jeannie just graduated from the UCLA MLIS program this year so congratulations to her!

Our BBQ menu included grilled burgers, hot dogs, dips, salads, fresh veggies, and a delicious homemade lemon cake baked by our own former Student Chapter Co-President Lindsay Klick. We are also extremely grateful to Ahern and Mediavilla for opening their home to this important fundraising event. Their beautiful backyard garden is a stop on the annual Theodore Payne Foundation’s Spring Garden Tour, and the diversity fundraiser could not have been in a more appropriate setting than a garden resplendent with a diversity of native California plants.

The ALA Student Chapter at UCLA recognizes the importance of increasing diversity within the library profession, and we were honored to help support the ALA’s national efforts to increase academic opportunities for underrepresented populations.