UCSB Alumni

That's a wrap on our first Olé Ventura mixer! 🎉

Our mixer at T**a T**a brought Gauchos together to reconnect, meet new faces, and celebrate our growing community in Ventura. Thank you to everyone who came out to kick off something special. Stay tuned for more Olé Ventura events!

📸 : Lariza Johnson '10



Image descriptions: Various alumni wearing UCSB merch smiling together outdoors, some with drinks in hand.

From Zoom classes to a full weekend back at !

The Class of 2021 is invited back to campus for the All Gaucho Reunion, October 15-18, 2026, to reconnect with friends, make new memories, and celebrate the Gaucho spirit. Swing by the Classes of 2021 & 2016 Reunion Landshark on Friday, October 16th, from 6:00-7:30 PM to kick things off.

Tickets are on sale now: https://ow.ly/EMgy50ZR2nT



Image descriptions:
1. Three students lounging on grass overlooking the ocean, with a "Class of 2021" text overlay.
2. Two graduates with festive balloons, celebrating graduation outdoors.
3. A group of students posing together on a beach at dusk.
4. A student sitting and relaxing under a large tree on a lawn.
5. A crowd of students walking on a palm-lined campus pathway with colorful banners overhead.
6. A small group of friends sitting together on a bench outside a building.
7. A student working at a lab workstation with computer equipment.
8. Graduates posing outdoors together.
9. Cheerleaders performing a stunt on a beach.
10. Group of friends posing together on a landshark tour.

An Alpha Phi alumna and retired co-founder of Cameron-Brooks, Leslie (Solomon) Klonoff '80 has been at the heart of Greek Interconnect since its earliest days. 💙

Leslie helped pioneer the original All Gaucho Reunion GreekFest and later partnered with fellow alumna Dana Skeels '13 to grow that idea into the career-focused professional network that Greek Interconnect is today. Through her leadership on the Greek Interconnect Planning Committee, UCSB Department of Communication Alumni Council, and as a former UCSB Alumni Board member, Leslie has spent over a decade helping Gauchos “Make Connections That Count.” 🤝

For Leslie, giving back comes down to the responsibility that comes with a robust academic education, asserting that alumni should “take their privilege of a strong education and use that to make the world a better place.” She believes the lifelong connections built through Greek Life can open doors, create mentorship opportunities, and help the next generation of Gauchos thrive.

Join Leslie and fellow Greek alumni at the 10th Annual Greek Interconnect on Saturday, October 17!

Register now: https://events.trustevent.com/templates/index.cfm?fuseaction=templates.home&eid=5332



Image descriptions:
1. Leslie (Solomon) Klonoff '80 sits in a white wooden chair wearing a black dress and dangly earrings.
2. Two-panel images featuring group portraits of Leslie with her sorority sisters.
3. Leslie wearing a pink dress while posing closely with a friend.
3. Leslie poses in a Wonder Woman costume alongside two friends.

As a biology student at UC Santa Barbara, Adolfo Murillo ’79 became president of Los Curanderos, a group that provides tutoring and professional school guidance to Latinx students. After graduating, he earned his optometry degree at UC Berkeley and went on to become a successful South Coast optometrist.

Years later, Adolfo drew on his background in biology to transform his family’s land in Jalisco, developing organic farming practices that helped shape his award-winning Alquimia tequila. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Murillo remains committed to giving back, providing eye exams to those in need and encouraging students to pursue careers in science and medicine.

🔗 Read more about his journey and the legacy he’s building: https://www.alumni.ucsb.edu/coastlines/summer-2018/theres-gold-in-those-agaves



Image description: Adolfo Murillo '79, with a mustache, wearing a white cowboy hat and a white button-up shirt in an open field.

When Dana Skeels ’13 was asked to organize a Career Day for her chapter, Alpha Chi Omega, she saw an opportunity to create something much bigger: an event that could bring together the entire Greek community. Through countless conversations with chapters, leaders and alumni, Dana turned that idea into the first UCSB Greek Interconnect in 2016! 💡

Since then, Dana has watched the event grow far beyond its beginnings, reflecting on “what began as a way to re-engage alumni and support individual Greek chapters is now an annual event that has reached over a thousand students.” She also attributes her own Alpha Chi Omega network with opening doors to interviews and opportunities while providing mentors, advocates, and lifelong connections. Her philosophy? “It’s not what you know, but who you know — and you’ve gotta know a little something, too.”

Now, Dana leads global B2B marketing campaigns and programs at Pinterest, connecting current and prospective advertisers with Pinterest's advertising solutions. After UCSB, she also helped launch Olé San Francisco, now Olé in the Bay, creating new ways for Gauchos to connect beyond campus.

Celebrate 10 years of Greek Interconnect on Saturday, October 17!

🔗 Register: https://events.trustevent.com/templates/index.cfm?fuseaction=templates.home&eid=5332



Image Descriptions:

1. Dana Skeels '13 smiles at the camera in a white collared longsleeve.
2. Three Alpha Chi Omega sisters pose at the 2011 Nike Women's Marathon holding pink signs for cancer. Dana stands on the right in a teal shirt, jeans, and sandals.
3. Dana stands in the middle of a group of people, wearing a black and white polka dot shirt, in the Corwin Pavilion room at UC Santa Barbara.
4. Dana holds a microphone while speaking in front of a group of people.

Plug back into the departments and affinity groups that shaped your journey! Swipe through to explore mini reunion gatherings happening during All Gaucho Reunion on October 15th -18th. ✨



Image description: Alumni waving and cheering together against a retro sunburst backdrop.

The 5th Annual Chican@/Latinx Homecoming is almost here! Join us Saturday, October 17th from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM at the Loma Pelona Center for a vibrant celebration of friendship, culture, and the unforgettable memories created at UC Santa Barbara. Get your tickets at the link in our bio. 

Image Description: Alums waving and cheering against a retro sunburst backdrop.

Don’t miss the Black Alumni Legacy Celebration! Join fellow UCSB Black alumni, faculty, and staff on Saturday, October 17th from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM at Mosher Alumni House for a special celebration of community, connection, and the legacy we continue to build together. Register at the link in our bio.

Image description: Alums smiling and clapping, wearing UCSB merch, against a retro sunburst backdrop.

The countdown is on for the 10th Anniversary of Greek Interconnect UCSB Greek Alumni! Join us on Saturday, October 17th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the SRB to hear from featured speaker Kevin Patsel ‘85, along with Dana Skeels ‘13, founder of Greek Interconnect, who will serve as our moderator. Stick around after the program for open networking with current students and fellow alumni! Register at the link in our bio.

Image Description: Alumnae forming a Greek letter with their hands together against a retro sunburst backdrop.

It’s almost time to reconnect! UCSB MTM | Department of Technology Management alumni, faculty, staff, family, and friends are invited back to campus on October 16th and 17th, for two days of high impact learning and entrepreneurial networking. View the full schedule and get your tickets at the link in our bio.

Image descriptions:  A group of MTM alumni smiling together on outdoor steps against a retro sunburst backdrop.

Two major milestones, one big celebration! Join the Department of Global Studies UCSB Global as they mark the 20th anniversary of its MA program and the 10th anniversary of its Ph.D. pr

Plug back into the departments and affinity groups that shaped your journey! Explore mini reunion gatherings happening during All Gaucho Reunion on October 15th -18th. ✨

📌 Annual Chican@/Latinx Homecoming | Oct. 17
📌 Black Alumni Legacy Celebration | Oct. 17
📌 Greek Interconnect | Oct. 17
📌 MTM Alumni Reunion | Oct. 16–17
📌 Global Studies | Oct. 17–18
📌 Chemistry and Biochemistry Reunion | Oct. 15–16
📌 Psychology & Brain Sciences Lab Reunions | Oct. 16

See details and register: https://ow.ly/76Cl50ZPZIw



Image description: Alumni waving and cheering together against a retro sunburst backdrop.

Different majors, different years, and yet we still met. Come back home to this October for the All Gaucho Reunion.💙💛

Tickets available: https://ow.ly/hvNo50ZPfjs

Image descriptions:
1. Sunlit crowd of grads smiling.
2. Students eating outdoors at DLG dining hall.
3. A group of students walking on an outdoor campus path.
4. Tight crowd close-up in blue and gold cheering for the UCSB soccer team.
5. Students seated at tables mid-conversation in the Library.
6. Students walking down the ILP staircase.

We're thrilled to announce Kevin Patsel '85 as this year's Greek Interconnect Featured Speaker! 🎉

As a Sigma Chi alumnus, Kevin has spent almost two decades in high-level PR working with entertainment and tech clients, then pivoted into real estate after the dot-com bust hit. Now he's a Regional Manager at Compass, leading operations, communications, and financial performance across nearly 50 offices, 200 staff, and 5,000+ agents throughout Northern California and Nevada.

Kevin credits his time as Sigma Chi President at UCSB with shaping the leadership instincts that carried him through that transition. Now, he's returning to Greek Interconnect to share that perspective with the next generation of Gauchos: "You really don't know what's waiting for you out there... you kind of sift through life, honing in on what your strengths are and what you like to do."

Don't miss the 10th Annual Greek Interconnect on Saturday, October 17! Register now: https://events.trustevent.com/templates/index.cfm?fuseaction=templates.home&eid=5332



Image descriptions:
1. Kevin Pastel '85, with short graying hair, smiling with hands clasped, wearing a dark blue jacket over a light button-down shirt.
2. A black-and-white Sigma Chi group photo.
3. Kevin Pastel '85 crouching in the front center of a black-and-white photo with six other young men.

From the KCSB Radio Airwaves to opening for Diana Ross on the Santa Barbara Bowl stage, DJ Darla Bea '03 has spent nearly twenty years making Santa Barbara dance, and on October 17, she's bringing that energy to GauchoFest! 🥳

Darla's love for music started at an early age. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, her first “toy” was a cassette tape recorder and mini microphone. As cheerleader captain of her high school, you could find Darla at UCSB’s Extravaganza and hanging out with the marching band. She majored in the History of Art & Architecture at UC Santa Barbara, a foundation she still draws on for the creative direction behind her DJ brand today. 🎧

That same ear for a crowd has made her a local favorite, landing her DJ gigs in front of thousands of spectators: 4th of July Drone Show, Summer Solstice Parade (DJ’ing on a float), Lemon Festival, Kenny Loggins Celebrity Pickleball Tournament, and providing tunes for a Book Signing with Anthony Bourdain. For 16 years, she curated the music at the Courthouse Movie Nights. Plus, she has been voted "Best Event DJ in Santa Barbara" for the past 10 years in a row from the Santa Barbara Independent's Readers' Poll. 🏆

At GauchoFest, catch DJ Darla Bea alongside Animal Liberation Orchestra, Munkafust, Whatever Forever, and Salty Strings! Bring family and friends, as GauchoFest, an All Gaucho Reunion event, is also a community event, so all are welcome!

🎟️ Grab your tickets: https://ow.ly/AZoo50ZO567



Image descriptions:
1. DJ Darla Bea '03 with a pink bob wig and headphones around her neck, holding a yellow vinyl record in a studio setting.
2. DJ Darla Bea '03 with half-black and half-pink hair, wearing a checkered dress while holding an award frame outdoors under a marquee.
3. DJ Darla Bea '03 wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses, headphones, and a floral top at an outdoor DJ setup.
4. DJ Darla Bea '03 with brown hair, wearing a metallic silver top and pearl necklace while seated at a sound mixing board with a vintage microphone.