The Athletic, a New York Times’ sports subsidiary, featured UCLA gymnast Tiana Sumanasekera in an article about the Bruin’s commitment to bringing Bollywood dance styles to college gymnastics. Sumanasekera, who is competing for UCLA in the NCAA gymnastics semifinals this week, has incorporated South Asian dance into her choreography throughout her elite career, working tirelessly with UCLA associate head coach BJ Das to learn new styles of Bollywood dance and celebrate its influence in South Asian culture on both the floor and on the beam. Read more about UCLA in today’s ESPN, The Wall Street Journal and others.

More highlights from UCLA in the News: April 16, 2026

Can Jordan Chiles end her career with an NCAA team title? | ESPN

"My freshman self would be amazed by the transformation and growth," Chiles said. "She wouldn't believe all the things I did, all the things I learned, and then how I developed as a person in that time span while I've been [at UCLA]. I wish she could know the amazing legacy she's going to leave and that she's going to enjoy every moment."

Angelenos are less happy with quality of life than in many years | City News Service

Los Angeles County residents are less satisfied with their quality of life than at any point in more than a decade, according to a report presented at the UCLA Luskin Summit. The 2026 Los Angeles County Quality of Life Index found the overall score dropped to a record low of 52, with six of the nine categories measured reaching their lowest levels on record and eight showing year-over-year declines. “Los Angeles County residents’ rating of their quality of life has been in decline since the peak of the COVID pandemic,” Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA Luskin, said in a statement. (Also: KCBS-TV, KNBC-TV, KABC-TV, and KFI-FM.)

Teen raises $150,000 after cuts to UCLA LGBTQ health center | The Beach Reporter

People love to complain about the TikTok-toting, AI-assisted downfall of today’s generation of teens — but then you meet a kid like Jonah Segil and you realize: It’s OK, grown-ups. We’re going to be just fine. Last week, the Mira Costa junior became the first high school student to receive an award from UCLA’s Center for LGBTQ Advocacy, Research and Health, a public health research program that provides vital care and support services for LGBTQ+ individuals and families across Los Angeles. (UCLA’s Dr. Matthew Mimiaga was quoted.)

Jim Newton discusses strategies for candidates in LA mayoral race | KCBS-TV

“It’s a tough time to be an incumbent. National politics, state politics, local politics, all very scrambled these days. I think there’s a sense among many LA voters that the city, if not exactly in crisis, is at least at sort of a standstill. I think that’s resulted in some negative numbers for Mayor Bass and created some vulnerability for her,” said UCLA’s Jim Newton.

AI-generated meal plans showcase lower calories | Spectrum News 1

“According to that study, teenagers were getting 700 calories less than what they needed. 700 calories is significant. That’s essentially another meal, another what I like to call ‘feeding opportunity’ to get their needs met for growth and development, which is extremely crucial for that age range,” said UCLA’s Yasi Ansari (approx. :45 mark).  

Hollywood editors get new AI tool | Los Angeles Times

Ramesh Srinivasan, a professor of information studies at UCLA, said these kinds of deals are the “new normal” and that “almost every single industry is being sort of eaten up by the Pac-Man of AI.” But he said he’s not sure that this kind of AI will only be used for mechanical tasks.

Iran’s economy means it has an urgent reason to negotiate | The Wall Street Journal

“The attacks are not random,” said Kevan Harris, an authority on Iranian economic development and society at the University of California, Los Angeles. “They are targeting parts of the economy that are outward facing, that are bringing in foreign exchange which could be redistributed and directed at basic needs.”  

U.S. just showed that reparations are possible, just not for Black Americans | TheGrio

“Whenever it’s about African Americans and slavery, people make reparations like it’s a dirty word or never going to happen,” said Marcus Anthony Hunter, a professor of African-American studies at UCLA who has worked on reparations legislation and advised members of Congress.