Welcome the 2025-26 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, advocating for the student experience. Their role is to inform and advise the dean and other directors on matters such as academic affairs, campus climate, strategic communications, and funding issues. 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 2025-26 Dean's Student Council.
Abby Tian
Design Media Arts
Abby is a third-year Design Media Arts student at UCLA interested in the ways design and technology shape how people move through the world. Her curiosity leans toward accessibility and the small design decisions that make digital spaces feel human. She’s especially drawn to the intersection of people and machines—how interfaces can communicate care, how systems can adapt to different bodies and abilities, and how design can bridge the gap between cold technology and lived experience. Outside the studio, she loves exploring new places and unwinding with a good horror movie (or several in a row). As a returning representative on the Dean’s Student Council, she hopes to help build a more connected and supportive community within the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.
Abri Herring
Dance
Abri is a third-year student from Greensboro, North Carolina, pursuing a B.A. in Dance with aspirations of becoming a professional commercial dancer. Since being at UCLA, Abri has served on the community outreach committee for UCLA’s Black Admit Weekend, hosting prospective students and volunteering for Down4Dance, a program that offers in-person and virtual dance classes to individuals diagnosed with Down Syndrome. She currently works as an academic mentor for high school students in the Academic Advancement Program under UCLA’s VIP Scholars Program, serves as Vice President of the Pi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is a second-year member of the UCLA Dance Team. Last year, she created the program Bruin2Bruin for her high school to connect seniors to alumni attending UCLA, creating a resource where students can look to former peers for support with college applications. “I look forward to being a part of the Dean’s Student Council and getting to use my voice on a new platform!” said Abri.
Angie Lee
Visual and Performings Arts Education (VAPAE)
Angie (she/her) is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Musicology and Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE) and a returning representative on the Dean’s Student Council. For her VAPAE Capstone Project, she designed and implemented a five-lesson music and mindfulness curriculum for a string ensemble class at Alexander Hamilton High School. Her research interests focus on nontraditional sound healing modalities and adolescent spiritual development, and she is eager to study these subjects at the postgraduate level. As peer counselor in The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Office of Student Affairs, Angie advises and supports undergraduate students. In addition, she is the Student Ambassador for the undergraduate Musicology program and Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA MUSE Journal.
Cameron R. Kursel
Architecture and Urban Design
Cameron R. Kursel is a designer and researcher currently completing his final year in the Master of Architecture program at UCLA. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and has five years of professional experience, spanning architecture, graphic design, and custom fabrication. His current work investigates how architects might reclaim agency within contemporary modes of practice through renewed attention to material production, collective labor, and the politics of making.
Holly Tramble
Art
Holly is a fourth-year Art major, Los Angeles native, and returning representative on the Dean’s Student Council, currently serving her third term. Her practice is mainly mixed media, utilizing painting and photography. She takes inspiration from all artists, but a few that are her main inspiration are Carmen Winant and Donna Ferrato. “This year, I want to help fellow artists across all departments communicate more effectively with one another and share their needs and concerns with the council regarding their classes, studios, and departments,” said Holly.
Konrad M. Collins
Architecture and Urban Design
After growing up in the mountains of Oregon, and studying both cognition and ecology at Yale University, Konrad’s work at UCLA now aims to bridge these seemingly disparate—though deeply connected—fields into the practice of architecture.
Luke Godinez
Art
Luke Godinez has served on the Dean’s Student Council for three consecutive terms.
Okechukwu Iroegbu
World Arts and Cultures
Okechukwu Iroegbu (Oke) is a doctoral student passionate about Indigenous cultures, African traditions, oral literature, and the links between culture and the environment. He earned his master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where his research focused on storytelling, African communities, and environmental relationships through the lens of proverbs and folktales. A recipient of several awards—including the prestigious Davis Peace Prize, the International House Berkeley Executive Director’s Outstanding Community Leadership Award, and the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Impact Fund—he combines academic work with social impact efforts, such as developing an AI-powered language app for Nigeria’s Indigenous languages.
Roxanne Harris
Design Media Arts
Roxanne Harris “alsoknownasrox” is a new media artist-researcher and musician-programmer based in Los Angeles. Embracing programming as an artistic medium, she parameterizes on-the-fly, pushing the boundaries of improvisational dexterity within computational limitations. Her work invites audiences to engage the creative process as it unfolds, embracing vulnerability and exploring speculative futures through algorithmic transparency.
Samuel Swenson
Architecture and Urban Design
Samuel Swenson is a fourth-year Architectural Studies major with a minor in film, television, and digital media. Growing up in North Dakota, Sam loved spending time with his family and friends, going to the lake, and developing his love for architecture. Moving across the country to California was daunting at first, as he was comfortable in his North Dakota bubble. However, branching out has led to so many incredible opportunities that he would not have gotten anywhere else. UCLA and AUD have allowed him to pursue his passion for design while also opening him to new perspectives and experiences, whether through leadership positions in AIAS or working on campus. “I have formed lasting friendships and connections that will carry me through my final year and beyond, and I could not be more grateful,” said Samuel. As part of the Dean’s Student Council, he hopes to give back to the UCLA community, advocate for students’ voices, strengthen student-faculty relationships, and help more Bruins discover the infinite possibilities that await!
Sanjeev Varma
World Arts and Cultures
Originally from San Diego, Sanjeev is a creative pursuing a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures with a minor in English and returning representative on the Dean’s Student Council. His work explores themes of grief, exile, migration, connection, race, and oral histories, expanding from a foundation in theater into playwriting, film, poetry, and multimedia art. Sanjeev currently serves as a co-producer for World Arts and Cultures/Dance’s annual student showcase “WACsmash,” where he leads the visual arts component and continues to develop his skills in curation and production. His interests in critical race theory and autotheory have led to a developing book project titled Racial Aatma, which examines interconnection and coalition-building. Through his upcoming senior praxis, supported by WACD and the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, Sanjeev aims to advance this work while fostering collaboration across disciplines and strengthening connections within the arts community.
Valeria Lopez
Design Media Arts
Valeria is a transfer student at UCLA in the Design Media Arts program and returning representative on the Dean’s Student Council. 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,” Valeria said. “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."
Stay engaged. Use #UCLAarts to stay connected.
