We doubt the critics, reject the status quo and see opportunity in dissatisfaction. Our campus, faculty and students are driven by optimism. It is not naïve; it is essential. And it has fueled every accomplishment, allowing us to redefine what’s possible, time after time.

This can-do perspective has brought us 17 Nobel Prizes, 39 MacArthur Fellows, more NCAA titles than any public university and more Olympic medals than most nations. Our faculty and alumni helped create the Internet and pioneered reverse osmosis. And more than 140 companies have been created based on technology developed at UCLA.

What inspires MacArthur Fellows and Rhodes Scholars? What gave Jackie Robinson the courage to become the first African American in Major League Baseball? What was the catalyst that spurred Vint Cerf and Leonard Kleinrock’s dream of the Internet?

The answer is optimism. And it is in our DNA. It is what enables us to push forward and redefine what’s possible. It pervades our focus on education, research and service and, in turn, opens limitless opportunities to every student.

And through its eye-opening lens, we see beyond the classroom, allowing us to engage with the world right now.

As UCLA moves onward, we leverage our history to define our future. Every achievement and breakthrough we have made justifies our optimism, calling us to build upon our past. And as we near the end of a century of excellence, we steadfastly pursue future endeavors with the same optimism that brought us here.

This is UCLA.

These are the grounds of optimism.