USAC Presidential Candidate: Devin Murphy

Devin Murphy never understood why his mother would sell her jewelry at pawn shops when he was a child.

But as he grew, he realized that his single mother was doing all she could to support her family and make sure Murphy and his four brothers learned the importance of being independent.

Though there were times that his family struggled to find a roof over their heads, his mother’s example of independence has served as a source of strength for Murphy and developed his drive to succeed academically, to work for community development and pursue a presidential seat in this year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council election.

Murphy, a third-year political science and Afro-American studies student, is the LET’S ACT! presidential candidate this year.

“I am a change agent. I am a person who believes in progressive, social change,” Murphy said.

The power of student voices at a Proposition 209 rally three years ago ignited Murphy’s passion for social justice.

The rally, which fought against the law that prohibited race as a factor in admissions, made him proud to be a black man at UCLA. This sense of coalition and consensus among students demonstrated the importance of diversity within higher education and the power of different communities to come together on a single issue, Murphy said.

“Devin is extremely ambitious, super bright, very quick and he has a really deep passion to advance on whatever he is working on,” said Jasmine Hill, a former USAC president and UCLA alumna.

Hill met Murphy when he attended the Afrikan Student Union’s admit weekend and she sparked his interest in community organizations and student groups that would later define his own identity, Murphy said.

As a student leader, Murphy believes that all students should collectively work to create a different environment on campus for individuals to discuss relevant social issues. He said he thinks that discussion can bring action and solutions to each community’s problems.

One of his goals is to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline system through a University of California Student Association campaign called Invest in Graduations, Not Incarceration, Transform Education, or IGNITE.

The campaign aims to ensure that members of underserved communities are not disproportionately represented in state prisons, as well as promote diversity in universities through increased outreach to high schools with students from low-income backgrounds and community colleges with low transfer rates.

As a queer black male, Murphy said he was not open about his sexual identity when he first came to UCLA, but through his mentors and people within the Afrikan Student Union, Bruin Democrats and Queer Alliance, he was able to better understand himself and accept the social implications of being a black and queer man.

Murphy currently serves as the chief of staff in the USAC Office of the President, the president of the Black Pre-Law Association and an intern at the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs office.

As an intern at the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs office, Murphy organized an event during Bruin Day Admit Weekend in April to bring more than 400 visiting students of color together and build a sense of community, said Tatev Papikyan, a fellow intern and fifth-year anthropology and gender studies student.

“He is open to learning, but knows exactly what he is doing,” Papikyan said. “It’s a perfect combination since he knows how to ask for help, but he can still achieve his goal and make his vision into reality.”