UCLA Samueli Welcomes the Next Generation of Bruin Engineers

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science kicked off the 2026-27 academic year with two days of welcome events this week at the Court of Sciences. Nearly 700 new master’s and doctoral students and more than 1,100 first-year and transfer students have enrolled in the school this fall.

Graduate students gathered Sept. 21 for the Graduate Student Orientation and Welcome, followed by Engineering Welcome Day the next day for new undergraduates. The events were hosted by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs with support from the Engineering Graduate Student Association and the Engineering Student Association, respectively.

At both events, Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of Engineering, congratulated the newest Bruins for their accomplishments that led to their admission to UCLA Samueli and encouraged students to continue striving for excellence, taking advantage of the breadth of expertise around them and approaching engineering as a collaborative endeavor.

“You will learn about how to ask the right questions to address tough, complex engineering problems, and how to get to solutions together as a team,” Park said, emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to solving grand challenges.

“You will learn about how to ask the right questions to address tough, complex engineering problems, and how to get to solutions together as a team,” said Dean Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park.

A professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering with a joint appointment in civil and environmental engineering, Park spoke of the school’s resources designed to help students put that collaborative approach into practice, from working with industry experts on capstone projects to participating in faculty research. As she called out the seven academic departments, Park called on students from each of the seven academic departments to raise their hands and pointed out examples of research opportunities, sharing that her own lab has five undergraduate students.

Building Community Beyond the Classroom

Beyond the goal of helping new students connect with one another, the welcome programs also introduced them to academic resources and communities across UCLA. Tuesday’s graduate event, hosted by Graduate and Professional Education Associate Dian Song Li, also included remarks from Research and Physical Resources Associate Dean Robert Candler and other school leadership and campus partners.

More than 700 new undergraduate students also heard from multiple other speakers Wednesday, including Academic and Student Affairs Associate Dean Rick Wesel, who likened the start of a new academic journey to the launch of an exciting new limited series, starring individual students but supported by fellow Bruins.

“You have to remember that there was a time when it was hard for you, and say, ‘oh, hey, I think I can make that easy for you. Let me explain that,’ and lift that person up,” Wesel said. “What you do the next couple of weeks, the patterns you set down, will create the great community you enjoy the next four years.”

Inclusive Excellence and Faculty Affairs Associate Dean Veronica Santos highlighted the school’s various programs, such as the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity and Women in Engineering at UCLA, designed to support and foster a community in which everyone feels a sense of belonging and connection.

For Alana Millikan, a first-year electrical engineering student from San Diego, the collaborative environment is exactly what makes the country’s most-applied-to and top-ranked public university appealing.

“I picked UCLA because I wanted a challenging curriculum, coursework that would set me up for success,” Millikan said. “But also where people worked collaboratively and the focus was on developing yourself as a professional and as someone who supports a team and project.”

After the speaking portion of the program, the new undergraduate students met with their assigned mentors from UCLA Samueli’s peer mentorship program, MentorSEAS, for a scavenger hunt and tour of the school’s four buildings. Dozens of student organizations also set up booths to welcome their newest fellow Bruins at the Engineering Exploration Fair in the afternoon, showcasing exciting projects and introducing students to opportunities outside the classroom.

Cristobal Sauceda, a first-year civil engineering student from Stockton, California, visited the booth for the Society of LatinX Engineers and Scientists at UCLA and said he hoped to connect with students who share a similar background.

“I also want to understand what I’m actually learning. I want to be able to use it and put it into real-world solutions,” he said. “Not just get good grades … I want to understand the work that’s in front of me.”

UCLA Samueli welcomes its newest students with festivities captured in this reel

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