Welcome the 2024-25 Dean’s Student Council
Members of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture’s Dean’s Student Council represent their major or program cohort as advocates for student experience. Their role is to inform and advise the dean and other directors within the dean’s office on academic affairs; anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion (AEDI); and campus climate, communications, and funding. The Student Council is granted financial support from the dean’s office for student-initiated events and projects that strengthen the school’s community.
Please welcome the 2024-25 Dean's Student Council.
Aina Yasué
Dance
Grounded in her appreciation for dance, Aina Yasué is inspired by interdisciplinary approaches such as Performance Studies and Critical Dance Studies to understand how meaning is created through the body, and how this interrogation can destabilize investments in singular ways of knowing in academia and everyday life. Her interest in epistemology has led to a research project started at SOAS University of London that investigates the role of contemporary dance in continuing traditional embodied practice within Indigenous communities of Taiwan today. Focusing on a contemporary dance company rooted in the practices of the Paiwan Indigenous group in Taiwan called Tjimur Dance Theatre, she explored how contemporary Indigenous dance can both be used by Indigenous communities to continue traditional practices as well as by the Taiwanese government to construct and perform a global image rooted in multiculturalism. She is honored to be developing this research in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.
Angie Lee
VAPAE
Angie Lee (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate student studying musicology and visual and performing arts education (VAPAE). A passionate advocate for equitable and accessible music education, Angie currently serves as program coordinator of Love in Music, a nonprofit organization that provides music lessons to underserved youth in the greater Los Angeles area. She is also a Herb Alpert Music Partnership Program (MPP) Fellow, teaching choir, piano, and guitar lessons at the UCLA RFK Community School. As a violinist and pianist, Angie has performed with the Orange County Youth Symphony, UCLA Symphony, UCLA Con Brio String Orchestra, and UCLA Korean Fusion Ensemble. Her academic interests focus on the intersection of music and spirituality with an emphasis on sonic meditation practices.
Asher Charno
Architecture and Urban Design
Asher is a third-year student at UCLA studying Architecture and Urban and Regional Studies. He represents undergraduate architecture students on the Dean’s Student Council and his peers on the Architecture Urban Design Student Council. Beyond academics, Asher is a member of UCLA Clean Consulting, the Bruin Real Estate Association, and the UCLA Ski and Snowboard Team. Currently, he works as an architectural design intern with the New York-based architecture firm CetraRuddy.
Holly Tramble
Art
Holly is a third-year art major at UCLA, and this is her second quarter on the council. Originally from Los Angeles, Holly is passionate about painting as well as visual and digital collage. One of her greatest joys is fostering an artistic haven where her peers can freely express themselves and engage with the vibrant arts community at UCLA.
Holly Ulicki
Architecture and Urban Design
Holly is a third-year M.Arch. student and graduate representative of the Dean’s Student Council. She is a Southern Californian, born and raised in Orange County. She is proud to receive her education locally. She is interested in adaptive reuse, historical preservation, and infrastructural projects. Holly actively seeks to be involved in the interdisciplinary nature of architecture and is currently UCLA Architecture and Urban Design’s nominated student on the Anderson team for the 2024 NAIOP SoCal USC v. UCLA Real Estate Challenge. She is the co-chair of SIT&SIGH, the architecture department’s Student Socials which aim to perpetuate comradery and community growth across the body of students, faculty, and staff. Holly has been a shop technician in the department’s woodshop for the duration of her time at UCLA and finds joy in aiding fabrication of student’s studio models. After graduation, she looks forward to joining the Naval Civil Engineer Corps.
Luke Godinez
Art
Luke is a rising third-year art and sociology double major at UCLA and an alumnus of Loyola High School. “I fostered a love for the creative arts and design growing up in Los Angeles. This is my second year as a member of the Art Undergraduate Student Advisory Council and the Dean's Student Council for the School of the Arts and Architecture, piloting new programs, including a mentee/mentorship program for students in need. In the future, I want to gain introductory experience working in a museum environment and connect with a diverse community of creatives, artists, and people through events and public programming.” In his free time, Luke likes visiting new places and restaurants, creating new artwork, and having fun with friends!
Sanjeev Varma
World Arts and Cultures
Sanjeev is a third-year transfer student originally from San Diego, though he has spent a few years in San Francisco. He’s now proudly living repping the ultimate Californian lifestyle here in Los Angeles. Sanjeev is studying World Arts and Cultures and has a deep passion for poetry and storytelling, especially when it’s intertwined with visual art. He also loves the performing arts, particularly theater and film, and is excited to bring his creativity and energy to this council and department!
Sydney Richardson
Dance
Sydney is a visionary, choreographer, dancer, and teacher born and raised in Los Angeles, Calif. She is a fourth-year student at UCLA acquiring Bachelor’s degrees in Dance and African American Studies with a minor in Theater. As a dancer, she worked professionally in various film/television and live/stage performances including CONTRA-TIEMPO’s Azùcar Premiere at The Ford Los Angeles, 8 Counts: The Words That Movie directed by Dana Wilson, and Fragmentary Evidence; Detrius directed and choreographed by Nancy Dobbs Owen. She also has worked with Blue 13 Dance Company, Kara Mack’s Africa In America, Jason Holley, Mary Ann Chavez, and UCLA alumni Lula Washington and Wilfried Souly. Currently, Sydney is a dance teacher in Los Angeles focusing on cultivating education for young dancers in the Greater Los Angeles area. She has choreographed and taught students of all ages since 2019 in ballet, jazz, hip hop, liturgical, contemporary, lyrical, and stretch and conditioning and founded her company, Da Vinci Dance Troupe, a pre-professional company focused on career development and performance. Driven to create a more equitable and accessible space for dancers of all abilities, ethnicities, and financial backgrounds through her work, Sydney is excited to pave her path in the entertainment industry.
Valeria Lopez
Design Media Arts
Valeria is a transfer student at UCLA in the Design Media Arts program. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for art. Valeria is dedicated to expanding her creative horizons while contributing to the vibrant arts community at UCLA. "I feel honored to serve on the Dean’s Student Council during my time at UCLA. I am committed to continuing the legacy of this incredible institution and advocating for a strong, inclusive arts community that fosters education through the richness of art."
Yuxuan Liu
Architecture and Urban Design
Liu is in the MSAUD program and feels it's an honor to be one of the graduate architecture representatives. “I’m excited to contribute and have a voice in shaping decisions that impact our school community. In the coming academic year, I will strive to be a bridge between students and the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, fostering collaboration and ensuring our voices are heard,” said Liu.
Not pictured is Abby Tian, the undergraduate representative for the Department of Design Media Arts.
Stay engaged. Use #UCLAarts to stay connected.
