This post was updated Oct. 11 at 2:55 p.m.
When the Taliban overtook Afghanistan on Aug. 15, UCLA alumnus Ali Maisam Nazary stepped into a new position as the head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

Three UCLA law students helped a Native American tribe in California navigate decades of legal framework that inhibited their food sovereignty.
The Yurok Tribe’s ancestral territory stretches through Northern California, including a reservation along the Klamath River.

Lev Ricanati has clocked at least 30 hours on the lawn by Janss Steps since March, handing out $10 of free credit to students who download a new app called Zage.

Two proposed federal bills that would offer citizenship to undocumented individuals seem promising but exclude some groups of undocumented people, UCLA students and faculty said.
The United States House of Representatives passed two immigration bills – the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act – in mid-March.

From Jackie Robinson to Cindy Montañez, many Bruins have historically been on the frontlines in taking initiative for social justice issues. Some Bruins are following in their footsteps, using their voices to make change.

Emergency physician Kimon Ioannides won’t hold a party with his colleagues despite receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Although COVID-19 vaccines arrived at UCLA Health, some health care workers at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, like Ioannides, remain cautious.

The COVID-19 pandemic and UCLA’s subsequent shift to remote learning has affected how some international students have approached their education. In light of International Education Week 2020, here are four stories that highlight some of the challenges international students have had to deal with during fall quarter.

Jordan Yanowitz jolted out of bed at 2:44 a.m. to find a glowing sky and turbulent winds shaking his window blinds.
Through the sound of his banging shades and thunder, he heard his parents yelling at his brother to come inside from their backyard where he had been sleeping, said Yanowitz, a third-year ecology, behavior, and evolution student who evacuated his home in Santa Cruz County because of wildfires.

Some students strengthened their relationships with faith by dedicating extra free time amid the COVID-19 pandemic to self-reflection and religious practices.
Ben Michelson, a third-year psychology student who is Jewish, did not realize how much he relied on his Jewish community for support until the pandemic hit.

For Mercy Eme, balancing schoolwork and life at home during the coronavirus pandemic has been overwhelming.
At home, Eme attends her online classes while acting as a caretaker for her family, feeling lonely and worrying about her grandmother’s health, all of which exacerbated her generalized anxiety disorder, said the second-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student.