Meet our 2024-2025 Cohort!

Aileen A. Nava

Aileen A. Nava is a Human Genetics PhD candidate studying the role of epigenetic genes in human development and disease at UCLA. Her dissertation aims to define the role(s) of KAT6A in human neurodevelopment utilizing multi-omics technologies and novel patient-derived stem cells. During her PhD studies, Aileen has been awarded over a dozen merit-based accolades – including: the Graduate Dean’s Scholar Award, the UC President’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Fellowship in Physiology & Medicine, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research Training Fellowship. Before joining UCLA, she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, with a concentrated study in Cellular, Molecular, Developmental, and Stem Cell Biology. During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges to Stem Cell Research Scholarship to conduct research at Stanford where her love of human genetics and stem cell biology blossomed. Aileen believes in uplifting and inspiring the next generation of scientists, so she has also dedicated her time to mentoring, teaching, and training over 160+ students. She is committed to fostering and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in science by serving as a mentor for 8 research training programs and an active board member of DEI organizations like the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Overall, Aileen’s goal is to become a Professor that leads a lab focused on deciphering & ameliorating pathogenic mechanisms underlying human disease.

Alanna E. Hirz, MSPH

Alanna E. Hirz is a candidate for the PhD in Public Health with a concentration in behavioral health and Gender Studies at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her research focuses on understanding how systems of power perpetuate reproductive health disparities and constrain reproductive autonomy among women and birthing people living with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Alanna has been recognized by the Lupus Foundation of America as a Gina M. Finzi Memorial Fellow and by the UCLA Bixby Center for Reproductive Health as Fred H. Bixby Population and Reproductive Health Research Fellow. She is completing her third degree at UCLA, having received a Master of Science in Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Gender Studies at UCLA. She has authored publications that: provide recommendations for ameliorating the impact structural ableism has on reproductive self-determination for women and birthing people with chronic illness and disabilities; address abortion stigma in legislatively restrictive low-income settings; and identify psychosocial factors that led to poor mental health outcomes in patients living with autoimmune diseases. Alanna is passionate about using innovative qualitative methodologies to elevate community voices and priorities in her research and shares her passion by teaching qualitative methods to students and faculty across the country. She volunteers as the Research Coordinator for the Autoimmune Community Institute where she mentors underrepresented high school and undergraduate students developing research projects focused on autoimmune diseases. Alanna plans to continue her work at the intersection of reproductive justice, reproductive epidemiology, and rheumatology as a faculty member at a research institution.

Ricardo F. Frausto

Ricardo F. Frausto is a candidate for the Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and integrative physiology with a concentration in molecular neuroscience at UCLA. His research focuses on elucidating the molecular and neural basis for how physiology and prior experience influence behavior towards a cue/stimulus. His work is foundational for unraveling the mechanisms that underlie context-dependent decision-making. In recognition of Ricardo’s significant potential as a science educator and researcher, he was awarded the prestigious Ford Predoctoral Fellowship, which aims to diversify the professoriate. To meet his potential, Ricardo focused on developing skills critical to both science education and research. He obtained extensive mentoring and teaching training and has applied these skills to teaching life science courses for the Department of Life Science Core Education at UCLA in coordination with the Academic Advancement Program, which supports undergraduate students from underserved communities. One of Ricardo’s greatest academic joys is to mentor students, and he has served in this capacity for numerous undergraduate and graduate students. Ricardo supported student well-being as a member of the Committee on Learning Environment Oversight. He also served as a member of the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Implementation Committee to support UCLA becoming designated an HSI. Ricardo’s support of students is motivated by his values: empathy, belonging and student-centered. Ultimately, Ricardo aspires to be a professor of molecular neuroscience at a primarily undergraduate institution with a mission to serve all students, with a focus on those from communities historically underrepresented in the life sciences.

Jason Q.L. Williams

Jason Q.L. Williams is a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at UCLA, where his interdisciplinary work bridges ancestral knowledge with nanotechnology through eco-conscious material science. Under the guidance of Dr. Paul S. Weiss, he develops green synthesis methodologies using plant extracts to create metal and metal-oxide nanocomposites. Williams’ research specifically investigates green solvents for sustainable material synthesis while analyzing bioactive compounds from Southern African plants used in traditional medicine. A nontraditional scholar, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after high school, serving as a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Specialist with two deployments to Iraq. His undergraduate academic journey—marked by perseverance through eight community colleges—culminated in a B.S. in Chemistry from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2020. At UCLA, he has been awarded the Center for Diversity in Science Early Career Fellowship for his scholarly and community contributions. Williams is also the lead facilitator of UCLA’s Veterans in STEM program, and currently mentors five students. He also founded Elements of Equity, a nonprofit organization that provides underrepresented students with paid research internships. EoE targets talented individuals who lack high GPAs but possess strong potential and passion for science. By partnering with businesses, Elements of Equity offers practical lab training, bridging the gap between talent and opportunity and helping students become competitive for graduate school applications. Williams currently funds a paid internship for a nontraditional post-bac student and is actively mentoring him toward a path to a Ph.D. program. Williams aspires to continue to offer inclusive research opportunities while amplifying community-driven science and advocating for diversity in academia.

Devon M. Williams

Devon M. Williams is a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics at UCLA, specializing in gravitational lensing and cosmology. His research focuses on a rare cosmic phenomenon called a quadruply imaged quasar. This occurs when the immense gravity of a massive galaxy bends the light from a distant quasar—a super-bright region around a feeding black hole—causing it to appear in four different places in the sky. By studying these ‘cosmic mirages,’ he helps refine our understanding of the universe’s expansion rate. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2021 with bachelor’s degrees in physics and applied mathematics and a master’s degree in statistics, alongside a master’s in astrophysics from UCLA in 2023. As a Black scientist from a low-income household, Devon recognizes the disconnect between the diversity of aspiring astrophysicists and the field itself. To bridge this gap, he serves as head of outreach for the department, training and coordinating volunteers who bring demos to Title I schools (serving >40% low-income students) in LA, hoping to inspire the next generation of astrophysicists. He serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the department while making astrophysics accessible to the general public by hosting planetarium shows and helping run Explore Your Universe at UCLA. Growing up without role models in the field, Devon hopes to fill that void by directly mentoring high school, undergraduate, and graduate students through the Grad2Grad, Critical MASS, Marginalized Identities in Physics and Astronomy, and Physics and Astronomy for Everyone programs. He participates in career days at local high schools and volunteers with Journey Through the Universe in Hawaii, which seeks to repair relationships with Native Hawaiians whose land was taken through a complex history of colonialism, illegal annexation, and development without consultation—land that continues to benefit astronomers today. Devon aims to conduct research while making the field more accessible, not just for the next generation of astrophysicists, but for the public as a whole.

Siyue Lena Wang

Siyue Lena Wang is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Science & Comparative Education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), specializing in race, ethnicity, and immigration. Her research examines how racialization and legal status shape students’ college navigation, belonging, and resistance. Supported by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Minority Dissertation Fellowship and the Russell Sage Foundation Dissertation Research Grant, her dissertation investigates the educational trajectories of undocumented Asian college students and the structural barriers they encounter. Siyue has held graduate research and fellow positions with the USC Equity Research Institute, UCLA Prison Education Program, and UCLA Asia Pacific Center, contributing to research and policy initiatives that support immigrant, non-traditional, and vulnerable student populations. She collaborates with organizations such as Immigrants Rising and APIA Scholars to produce public scholarships and advocate for undocumented students’ college access and AANHPI student success in higher education. She has presented at national conferences, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE) and the WESTOP Annual Conference, where she trains educators and institutions to strengthen their capacity to support undocumented students. She served as co-chair of UCLA’s Graduate Students Association of Education and is actively involved in community organizations such as UPLIFT and API Rise. Siyue has developed and led workshops, including the Immigrant Youth Empowerment Conference and UCLA’s Graduate-Undergraduate Mentorship Program, demystifying graduate education for first-generation and immigrant students and empowering marginalized students to pursue higher education. She aims to continue advancing scholarship on race, immigration, and education through community-engaged research while transforming academia and higher education institutions toward equity and inclusion.

Program Affiliates

Georgina Aguilar

Briana Munoz Flores

Daniel Wong

Onyebuchi Arah

Tracy Daniels

Jose Alfonso Rodriguez

Cesar Favila

Past Events

• Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education
  April 5-6, 2019
• Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education 2017
  April 7-8, 2017
• UCLA Bouchet Welcome Luncheon 2017 (Photos)
  March 10, 2017
• Bouchet Honor Society Fall Forum at Howard University
  September 15-16, 2016
• Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education 2016
  April 1-2, 2016
• UCLA Bouchet Welcome Luncheon 2016 (Photos)
  March 18, 2016
• Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education 2015
  April 10-11, 2015

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