"I was in your shoes"

One Family's Bruin Bonds

The Crockett family of Irvine, Calif., are genuine bluebloods—if the particular color of blue running through their veins is UCLA's signature shade.

Parents David, JD '69 and Susan '71, CRSS '72 and their daughters Molly '05 and Cailin '10 are all Bruins—and their shared Westwood experiences have brought them closer as a family.

After their student days, David and Susan became active on campus when their older daughter, Molly, enrolled in 2001.

"I remember sitting at the parents' orientation, and they told us that at that time state funding was about 23 percent," Susan said. "We were under the false illusion that it was a state-funded university. We were so surprised and shocked that it really compelled us to get involved."

Today, the University is even more akin to private schools, receiving only 13 percent of its funding from the state, so efforts like the Crocketts' to bridge the gap in funding are even more crucial.

Between her Chancellors' Associates involvement with the UCLA Parents' Fund and the Alumni Association, Susan now sits on six different committees, and daughter Cailin is equally involved in the campus community. A third-year student double-majoring in Spanish and political science, she leads the Bruin Feminists for Equality, interns at the campus' Center for Women and Men, conducts research in the political science department, and is an Alumni Scholar.

"I really love this University to its very core and it's given so much to me that I want to give back to it," Cailin said. "This school has so much to offer. I'm really sad that I only have four years."

Fortunately, opportunities to engage with the University exist long past graduation. They're even better as an alum, Susan said, since being a part of UCLA as a graduate inspires a wholly different appreciation.

"I think when I was there [as a student], I just had no idea. Now, when I walk on campus, I think about all the incredible things that are happening there," she says. "And when there are students involved, it gives you hope for the future."

But the Crocketts have found that the benefits of being involved don't apply just to the future—they manifest in the present. Both mother and daughter say that the family's involvement with UCLA has cemented their bond.

"The opportunities to become as involved as they have been with UCLA have really been essential in keeping us all connected with one another," said Cailin. "Incredible things are going on here, and it's really nice to have my parents share in that and be a part of it."

Susan concurs. "There's an amazing synergy you have as a family because you just have that additional thing that binds you together," she said. "I think it's just one more way to keep our family connected. Our daughters have their UCLA lives and we have ours—it's just that we're on campus occasionally, and it's really a plus."

Even as Cailin plans for a future of graduate work in political science as well as law school, she feels confident that she'll always be a part of UCLA.

"I know I do and my parents certainly do believe in the Bruin family, because we all share the pride about being a part of it," she said. "That's something that I'm always going to feel connected to and make sure to stay involved with."

Said Susan, "Once you get on campus and get a taste of it, you have to keep going back for more. We got involved because of our kids, but that won't be why we stay connected. It becomes a part of you."

<< Bruin Parents and Families Program Home

Questions?
Contact us — We're here to help you navigate UCLA

Bruin Parents and Families Program

Parent Hotline: 310-794-6737

e-mail: mybruinis@ucla.edu