Student Organizations
American Indian Student Association (AISA)
AISA is an inclusive association open to all UCLA students, which strives to established a strong relationship with graduate and undergraduate students, supporting all efforts to receive an education at UCLA. Our community is a place where students come together and work collectively in an effort to promote education and interest in their culture, as well as to dispel any misconceptions regarding the art, language, history and lives of American Indians. AISA has a rich and extensive history of welcoming graduate students’ participation in their many activities, events and projects, some of which are the New Student Welcome Reception, Pow Wow, Youth Conference, forums, retreats, workshops, American Indian Recruitment, Retention of American Indians Now, Women of Indian Decent, etc. It is the diverse backgrounds that strengthens our group as each student brings with them talent or perspective that benefits the America Indian community. We are not just a club, but a community that you are a part of. We invite you to join us and strive for education.
AISA runs two projects on campus:
Retention of American Indians Now! providing comprehensive support services to all students on-campus in order to address a wide variety of needs: academic, personal, social, cultural, and spiritual.
American Indian Recruitment is in the service of serving Native students and providing resources to essentially support the journey to a quality higher education.
American Indian Graduate Students Association (AIGSA)
As an official campus-based student organization, AIGSA seeks to enhance the academic environment and experiences of American Indian and other interested and involved graduate students. Cultural and social interaction and learning among students are fostered through lectures and presentations involving UCLA and other college and university faculty, students, and community members. AIGSA also facilitates interdepartmental communication and camaraderie among all UCLA graduate students interested in American Indian studies.
Native American Law Students Association (NALSA)
The UCLA chapter of NALSA provides a gathering place for Native and non-Native students who want to promote the study of Indian Law, to secure academic support, to arrange lectures on Indian Law by prominent speakers, to organize relevant conferences, and to mount student events such as powwows. NALSA typically helps students arrange to attend the annual Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference or other outside educational programs.
AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY (AISES)
The mission of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is to substantially increase the representation of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, First Nations and other indigenous peoples of
North America in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies and careers.
SOCIETY FOR ADVANCEMENT OF CHICANOS/HISPANICS AND NATIVE AMERICANS IN SCIENCE (SACNAS)
www.sacnasatucla.com
SACNAS at UCLA is part of the SACNAS National Organization (sacnas.org). Both the National Organization
and the Chapter are dedicated to fostering the success of Chicano/Latino, Native American and other scientists belonging to underrepresented groups from college students to professionals. Success being measured as the attainment of advanced science degrees, science careers, and positions of scientific leadership. Our Chapter aims to increase the pool of students entering the science education and career pipeline.We do so through various outreach efforts that target K-14 students in the Los Angeles area. Our outreach efforts help a new generation of students begin to identify as scientists and bring awareness of and access to postsecondary and higher science education.
