Notable alumni UCLA

For years, Bruins have made a lasting impact on various fields, including sports, music, film, politics and more. Prominent UCLA alumni include Sara Bareilles, Arthur Ashe, Ralph Bunche, Francis Ford Coppola and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among many others. To read stories from these notable alumni UCLA, click the link below, or keep reading for an overview of five famous UCLA alumni.

Sara Bareilles ’03

Sara Bareilles is a notable alumni UCLA and a famous singer and songwriter best known for her songs “Love Song” and “Brave.” She has also won two Grammy awards, according to IMDb. At UCLA, she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and performed at the annual Spring Sing, a talent showcase hosted annually by the UCLA Alumni Association, according to UCLA Alumni. She also gave the 2025 UCLA commencement address, according to the UCLA Newsroom. For more information about Bareilles, click the link below.

Arthur Ashe ’66

Another notable alumni UCLA is Arthur Ashe, who is known for his legacy in tennis and activism. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in business administration, and during his time at UCLA, won one National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tennis championship in both singles and doubles, according to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1968, he became the first Black man to win the U.S. Open. His work in activism included fighting apartheid in South Africa and raising awareness about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), according to UCLA Social Sciences. Click the link below for more information about Ashe from the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.

Ralph Bunche ’27

Ralph Bunche was the valedictorian of UCLA’s class of 1927 and the first Black person and person of color to win the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the UCLA Bunche Center. He was awarded this honor in 1950 for mediating the Armistice Agreement between Israel and the Arab nations. Bunche received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from UCLA and afterward became the first Black person to earn a doctoral degree in political science, which he received from Harvard University, according to the American Political Science Association. For more information about Bunche from the eponymous UCLA Bunche Center, click the link below.

Francis Ford Coppola M.F.A. ’67
Francis Ford Coppola is an influential and innovative filmmaker, producer, writer and director. After suffering temporary paralysis from polio as a child, he developed an interest in puppetry, ventriloquism and filmmaking. Coppola earned his M.F.A in film from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television (TFT), and made his first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival through his second film, “You’re A Big Boy Now”(1966). While at UCLA, he won the Samuel Goldwyn Award for best screenplay written by a student, according to Academy of Achievement. He directed the blockbuster film “The Godfather” shortly after in 1970, which won three Oscars. For more information about Coppola’s career, visit the UCLA TFT webpage linked below.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ’69

Lew Alcindor, who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after his rookie season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), was a three-time player of the year at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969. Following his graduation, Abdul-Jabbar was drafted to the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers four years later, where he played for 14 seasons. When he retired from basketball in 1989, he had established all-time records for most seasons, games, minutes, field goals, points and blocked shots in the NBA and was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. Click the link below for more information about Abdul-Jabbar from UCLA Athletics.