Your partnership directly supports scholarships, student success, and community impact through the UCLA Black Alumni Association. Each sponsorship level offers meaningful visibility, exclusive access, and the opportunity to invest in the next generation of Bruin leaders.
BRUIN EXCELLENCE
THE POWER OF US
Join the UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) for an unforgettable evening of elegance and purpose as we honor the enduring legacy of Black Bruins and uplift the leaders of tomorrow. Together, we will raise essential scholarship funds and celebrate alumni whose contributions continue to shape communities and industries around the world.
To date, UBAA has awarded more than $10 million in scholarships, empowering over 800 students to pursue higher education and fulfill their aspirations. With your support, we can continue advancing the legacy of Dr. Winston C. Doby and expanding opportunities for future Bruins.
The Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship Gala is a cornerstone of this mission. On March 7, 2026, we welcome you to the InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles by IHG for an inspiring night of fine dining, live artistic performances, a distinguished awards ceremony, and meaningful reconnections with fellow alumni.More than a celebration, this gala is a vital fundraising effort that fuels scholarships and essential resources for students who need them most. Your participation directly supports pathways to academic success, personal growth, and long-term achievement.
Guests will experience an evening filled with impactful stories, powerful connections, and opportunities to engage with community partners and leaders who share a commitment to equity in education.Together, we can build brighter futures. By investing in the next generation, we strengthen our communities and contribute to a more diverse, innovative, and empowered workforce. We invite you to join us in carrying this legacy forward—creating lasting change for years to come.
REMEMBERING WINSTON C. DOBY
Dr. Winston Churchill Doby dedicated more than three decades of his career to expanding student diversity and access at UCLA and throughout the University of California system. A visionary leader, he earned national recognition for his efforts to broaden opportunities for educationally disadvantaged students and served as UCLA’s head of student affairs from 1981 to 2001. During his tenure, UCLA became a national leader in student services and programming. His ability to develop initiatives that were both innovative and practical made him a respected force in shaping academic, support, and outreach programs across the university.
In 2010, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities honored Doby with its Distinguished Service Award for his lifelong dedication to increasing diversity and educational access. The organization recognized him as an example of the type of leadership needed in higher education to support increasingly diverse and low-income student populations.
Doby’s career spanned more than 40 years of service within UCLA and the UC Office of the President, where he served as vice president for educational outreach and later for student affairs. A graduate of UCLA with a degree in mathematics, he began his professional journey as a teacher at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, fulfilling a promise to his high school mentor. He returned to UCLA in 1968 to pursue graduate studies in education and higher education administration, eventually joining the university’s administration full time in 1969.
As vice chancellor, Doby played a central role in shaping policies and practices across admissions, outreach, student financial support, student services, and community partnerships. Beyond the university, he served as an ambassador for UCLA in the K–12 community, promoting teacher excellence, educational outreach, and student achievement. He spent more than a decade contributing to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s evaluation planning team, addressing districtwide challenges such as desegregation, busing, and overcrowding.
Doby co-founded the Young Black Scholars Program in the 1980s, helping prepare thousands of African American students for college. He later founded the Black Male Achievement Project at Ralph Bunche Elementary School, created the Los Angeles Sports Academy to encourage academic success through athletics, and established a charter school for high school dropouts. He also contributed to a middle-school pilot program focused on improving mathematics competency.
He developed what he called the “optimal learning system,” a values-based approach to empowering students to reach their full academic potential. This philosophy became the foundation of the Career-Based Outreach Program, taught to UCLA students who then brought the curriculum to middle and high schools across Los Angeles.
In 1999, the UCLA Black Alumni Association honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his enduring impact on the campus and the broader community. Doby often credited his lifelong commitment to others to a guiding principle instilled by his mother: to show kindness and do good whenever possible, because each opportunity to make a difference may come only once.
