Rain pauses, community blooms at UCLA’s ‘Latinx Success Center Welcome’

After a morning of steady rain, the clouds parted just in time for UCLA's "2025 Latinx Success Center Welcome," revealing pockets of blue sky over Wilson Plaza. Music pulsed across the square, and the aroma of orange marigolds, flautas, pupusas and paletas signaled that the year's most spirited community gathering was underway. The celebration carried the tagline "Rooted together - our community, our future."

Every fall quarter, units across UCLA come together for the beloved bienvenida (welcome) for new and continuing Bruins to connect with each other and with staff, faculty and alumni. The outdoor celebration, presented this year by the newly opened Latinx Success Center, is part homecoming, part information fair and part festival, designed to send affirming messages to all students and their families, increase awareness of campus-wide resources and opportunities, uplift student success and honor National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The party always gravitates toward the dance floor of DJ Olea, a UCLA alumnus who has spun at the last several Latinx Welcomes. Between the beats this year, attendees enjoyed a live dance performance by the Afro-Latinx Connection de UCLA, a student-run organization that bridges the gap between African diaspora and Latino communities.

Nearby, Grupo Folklórico de UCLAstudent leaders warmly reached out to newcomers, encouraging them to join their dance practices, sharing that the group exists to help students find friendship and a sense of home within such a large university.

That theme - home, and what it means to find one - carried through the day's program. Arlene Cano Matute, executive director of the Latinx Success Center,introduced the center - a new campus hub that offers advising and educational services, as well as leadership and mentorship programs - as a place "for you, by you," where students can grow academically and personally.

"I thank all of the ancestors who are shining their light on us today - a pesar de la lluvia, right? We weren't sure what the rain was bringing, but it brought you here," she said.

Cano Matute shared that her 9-year-old twins helped her write her speech. When asked what "home" meant, they told her it's "where people make space for you, where your heart is honored." She said those words capture the spirit of the center - "a home away from home that supports your personal, professional and academic success."

Everywhere on the plaza, that spirit showed itself in small ways - students sharing food and snapping group photos against the cloud-swept sky.

Under canopies dotting the lawn in front of Kaufman Hall, nearly 100 organizations offered information to students. Members of the Latina-based academic sorority Lambda Theta Alpha spoke with first-years about how joining a cultural organization helped them feel grounded.

"I know that was a struggle for me when I first got to UCLA," student member Daniela said. "I think we just create that space and make it more accessible - showing there's a pathway for Latino students to get more involved in leadership and large-scale campus events."

Second-year doctoral student Nico said that sense of visibility matters deeply. "Especially the further along you go in education, the smaller it seems like you're represented," he said. "Having events like this that show just how many people are here and that support you is important."

Adriana Galván, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education, compared UCLA's Latino community to the ecosystems she studies as a scientist. "Growth isn't about doing it alone," she said. "It's about the mentors, peers and communities that help you reach toward that light, and the Latinx Success Center is here to do that for you."

Next, Elizabeth Gonzalez, director of UCLA's Hispanic-Serving Institutioninitiative, addressed the crowd with reflections that connected the event's spirit of belonging to her own UCLA journey. She spoke of her own experience arriving at UCLA 20 years earlier. "I learned quickly that UCLA would be the place where I would feel seen, understood and empowered to lead with purpose," she said. "Now, I've returned as the inaugural director of the HSI initiative. I understand now my path as a leader is a collective journey."

Tommy Contreras, internal vice president of the UCLA Student Body, connected that collective journey to generations of perseverance. "When we come together like this, we don't just bring our individual stories," he said. "We bring the love and labor of our communities, the sacrifices of our parents and the dreams of our ancestors who imagined a future where we could stand on this campus, proud, visible and united."

Organizers reflected on how the new Latinx Success Center, located at De Neve Birch on the Hill, aims to ensure that all Bruins - especially those who identify as Latino, first-generation or low-income - can thrive and reach their highest potential.

"The Latinx Success Center stands as a powerful expression of UCLA's commitment to student success," Galván said. "By providing the resources, guidance and community every student deserves, we create the foundation for them to explore their interests, discover their passions and lead with purpose."

As the last notes of cumbia echoed across the lawn, the weather once again began to shift - clouds closing in as students gathered their things, lingering to hug friends and take final photos under a patch of sunlight. For a few bright hours, Wilson had become exactly what the speakers described: a place of connection, reflection and home.