Dear Friends,
As the school year winds down, all of us at the UCLA Pritzker Center couldn’t be happier to celebrate our graduates, some of whom have worked with us for more than three years. With students at the heart of all that we do, the learning experience has been mutually beneficial for our entire team. To that end, our annual Summer Send-Off is always a special commemoration—each student is recognized with affirmations, stories of their impact, special memories and words of encouragement as they take their next steps in the world. For them, we echo the words shared by author Lisa Olivera in a Substack post. Lisa writes, “I am imagining your delight as you let yourself be surprised, as you let something happen that goes against the story you hold about yourself and the world, as you fall into the unexpected and notice all the ways you’re able to float instead of sink.”
Alongside celebrating Juneteenth, we are planning for the fall launch of the UCLA Pritzker Center Racial Equity Hub, led by our new colleague, Isaiah Simmons, PhD. We are thankful to partners and colleagues across campus and the community who are supporting the foundational development of our shared vision.
Concurrently, we hosted our annual Pride Talk in collaboration with the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, Human Rights Watch, Office of Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, National Center for Youth Law, Unicorn Solutions, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The talk drew guests from across the country and explored how systems can better support the safety, wellbeing, and belonging of LGBTQ+ youth and families, as well as recent policy changes and pathways toward hope, equity, and affirming care. At the UCLA Pritzker Center, we recognize the importance of Juneteenth and Pride, and are ever grateful to stand in solidarity with the numerous organizations advancing work in these areas.
As we transition from the school year to summer, learning is alive—new students are joining our student workforce and field trips abound! We’ll be taking July and August off from the newsletter and look forward to sharing more about our summer of learning in September! We invite you to stay connected on our Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and website.
In community,
The UCLA Pritzker Center Team
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2026 Pride Talk — Safe and Supported: Harm Reduction and Pathways Toward Hope Amid Policy Change for LGBTQ+ Youth in Foster Care |
Together, partners from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, Human Rights Watch, Office of Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, National Center for Youth Law, Unicorn Solutions, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center discussed the current challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth in foster care and explored pathways toward hope.
From research on the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and shifts in policy and data collection to inclusive healthcare, youth services, and gender-affirming resources such as the Rainbow Resource Network’s Qlosets, the conversation highlighted the importance of evidence-based policy, youth autonomy, and accessible community support. These discussions remind us that creating safe and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ youth requires ongoing collaboration across systems, communities, and lived experiences.
We are grateful to our distinguished speakers for sharing their expertise and to all who joined us in this collective commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.
We invite you to watch the event recording and view the resources below. We also welcome your feedback and reflections as we continue to build inclusive, supportive spaces together.
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Meet our Racial Equity Hub Project Director, Isaiah Simmons, PhD |
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| Welcome to the UCLA Pritzker Center team, Isaiah Simmons, PhD!
We're thrilled to introduce our Racial Equity Hub Project Director, Isaiah Simmons. Isaiah is a policy scholar with 7 years of experience conducting equity-oriented education and policy research.
As we launch the Racial Equity Hub, Isaiah is eager to help build this initiative from the ground up by developing interventions that support historically marginalized families and advancing work that addresses barriers to racial equity.
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UCLA Pritzker Center evaluates two new initiatives for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care |
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To promote the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth involved in California’s child welfare system, the Department of Public Health Office of Health Equity (OHE), Gender Health Equity Section (GHES) is funding eight initiatives under its LGBTQ Foster Youth Capacity Building Program, two of which are led by longtime UCLA Pritzker Center community partners.
Over the next year, UCLA Pritzker Center Co-Director, Audra Langley, PhD, and research director, Ivy Zucaya, PhD, will partner with project leadership and program staff from the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Children’s Law Center of California to co-design and implement evaluation frameworks that will inform continuous quality improvement, accountability, and learning in service of building LGBTQ+ affirming workforce for California’s child welfare system.
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Connecting and learning at the Embracing the Diversity of GLTBQ Youth & Families (EDGY) Conference |
UCLA Pritzker Center Research Director, Ivy Zucaya, PhD, attended Penny Lane Centers' annual conference dedicated to evolving practices for professionals working with GLBTQ youth and their families.
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Ivy Zucaya, PhD, attended the 16th annual Embracing the Diversity of GLBTQ Youth and families (EDGY) Conference, hosted by Penny Lane Centers at the California Endowment in DTLA. The conference offered expert-led workshops, cross disciplinary presentations, and interactive pride building activities to help parents, caregivers, service providers, and youth serving professionals build cultural competency, learn best practices, and learn about resources from leading experts and organizations to create a more supportive environment for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
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Celebrating our graduates and where they’re headed next |
UCLA Pritzker Center Executive Director, Taylor Dudley, JD, pictured with graduates Olivia Gilchrist and Isabella Reina and UCLA Pritzker Center alum, Tae Thompson, PhD.
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We are proud to celebrate Cristopher Espino, Olivia Gilchrist, Isabella Reina, Laurencio Baker, and past graduate student researcher, Tae Thompson, who have continued to contribute their time and talents as student researchers with the UCLA Pritzker Center. Learn more about our graduates and where they're headed next below!
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Cris contributed to the UCLA Pritzker Center's domestic violence work and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education and Social Transformation with a minor in Labor Studies. This fall, he will be pursuing his master’s of public administration at the University of Pennsylvania, and master’s in education with a focus on education policy and analysis at Harvard University.
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Olivia supported the UCLA Pritzker Center’s Antelope Valley, HOPE Court, and Eaton Fire research projects. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Public Affairs and will intern this summer with ALMA Backyard Farms, an urban farm dedicated to supporting formerly incarcerated individuals, repurposing land into productive farms, and creating a place where people and plants can thrive.
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Isabella was involved in the UCLA Pritzker Center’s Antelope Valley work, FYI Housing Choice Vouchers study, and communications efforts. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Public Affairs and will continue her professional journey this summer as an extern with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Laurencio contributed to the development and implementation of the UCLA Pritzker Center’s study of HOPE Court in Compton. He earned his Master of Social Welfare from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and will continue as a researcher with the Center this summer before joining the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services as a Children’s Social Worker.
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Tae was involved in the early ENRICH stipend and coaching program evaluation and education-focused work with the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and serves as the Executive Director at Twinspire.
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Welcoming three new student researchers to the UCLA Pritzker Center |
L-R: Cianna Ulloa, 4th year Sociology student; Serena Watkins, 3rd year Public Affairs and International Development Studies Student; Haregeweyne Kebede, Master of Public Policy Student at UCLA Luskin
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This summer, the UCLA Pritzker Center welcomes three new student researchers to the team: Cianna Ulloa, a fourth-year Sociology student; Serena Watkins, a third-year student studying Public Affairs and International Development Studies; and Haregeweyne Kebede, a Master of Public Policy student at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
We look forward to the perspectives, experiences, and contributions they will bring to the UCLA Pritzker Center’s research and ongoing work in strengthening children, families, and communities.
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One of our undergraduate student researchers, Cris Espino, was featured in this article by UCLA Newsroom.
“Service is an altruistic act rooted in a sincere and unwavering passion for uplifting and empowering others, for it is through such support that individuals are able to grow into the fullest expression of themselves."
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Join Unicorn Solutions and partners across the country to hear stories and learn about resources that uplift LGBTQIA2S+ youth and families across the country. Whether you're a youth with a story, a parent with experience to share, a leader, or part of an affirming organization—this event is for you. |
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© 2025 UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families. All Rights Reserved.
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