KEITH HENRY BROWN tackled our task of illustrating the “Magnificent 7” — the UCLA alums who have been selected as MacArthur Fellows since 2020. He was struck by the diversity of the disciplines involved: poetry, music, visual art, filmmaking and sociology. “I was previously unfamiliar with the MacArthur Fellows program,” Brown says. “I enjoyed exploring how each individual’s unique talents are recognized with such prestigious awards.” Brown’s own work, which spans comics, fine art and children’s literature, is distinctive for its innovative blend of collage, pencil, ink and digital techniques. His latest illustration project is Pushing Hope: An Illustrated Memoir of Survival (Abrams), written by Raymond Santana, who is one of the exonerated Central Park Five. There’s a lot of Bruin synergy going on there: The five falsely accused young men are also the subjects of the Ava DuVernay–directed 2019 miniseries When They See Us, for which MacArthur recipient Garrett Bradley M.F.A. ’12 served as second-unit director.
“I found the depth and breadth of how UCLA inculcates students with knowledge of the world, from both the philosophies of Immanuel Kant to labor problems in L.A. hair salons, inspiring,” says ROBERT HUBER, who in this issue explores how UCLA is leading on teaching the value of democracy, both here and abroad. “It’s not just about knowing, but getting out and doing — as, for example, the law school's long history of igniting students' pro bono work makes clear. It really seems to be an important Bruin ethos: learning to make a difference.” A longtime magazine journalist, Huber has written profiles, essays and investigative stories for Esquire, GQ, ESPN The Magazine and Boston Magazine, among many others. He’s currently at work on a novel.
For this special “UCLA for Life” issue, JONATHAN VAN METER interviews a Bruin legend: Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and proud alum Sara Bareilles ’03, who delivered our commencement address last year. “I didn’t know that she is from Eureka, California, a place defined by extremes: both tough and beautiful, which is a perfect description of Sara,” he says. One of America’s most renowned magazine journalists, Van Meter, a contributing editor at Vogue and New York magazines, was also the creator and founding editor of Vibe. His stories, most often centering on media, fashion, society and politics, have appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine and Elle, and have included profiles of some of the most consequential figures in American public life. “UCLA is such a musically fertile and vibrant community,” he says. “I had no idea that Maroon 5 and Sara incubated their careers on, and just off, campus.”
Austin, Texas–based illustrator DRUE WAGNER created the art for this issue’s cover and cover story, all under the theme of “UCLA for Life.” For the story, Wagner drew the UCLA student versions of the four illustrious Bruins profiled: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ’69, Scott Galloway ’87, Meyer Luskin ’49 and Janet Reilly ’86. “It was fun to imagine and draw them as younger versions of themselves — full of hope and awe,” Wagner says, “knowing the accomplished people they’d become and the many ways they’d give back.” The award-winning designer and illustrator’s career began at Bon Appétit: She was asked to contribute to a design for a taco story by drawing Mexican wrestlers devouring the beloved filled tortillas. Wagner’s work has also appeared in Afar, The Wall Street Journal, Texas Monthly and Outside, among other publications.
EMILY WILSON says she was both surprised and pleased to learn about the “genuine and creative commitment” UCLA has made through its many veterans’ programs to those who served our country, including the Anderson School of Management’s lauded M.B.A. boot camp. Wilson has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Alta Journal and The Daily Beast. And she knows something about supporting adult learners: For many years, she taught students returning to obtain their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. “Several people told me it wasn’t just about helping veterans,” Wilson says of UCLA efforts to launch former armed forces members into new careers. “It was how much veterans have to contribute to companies.”
Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Spring 2026 issue.
