An even Bigger Bang: Chuck Lorre’s $24.5 million gift to empower low-income STEM students
AcademicStudentsFirst-generation American Jack Reid dreamed of going to UCLA but didn’t think it would be possible financially. In fact, to avoid burdening the family’s limited resources, one of his older sisters had chosen to forgo higher education entirely.
So when the aspiring scientist was notified that he had earned one of UCLA’s Big Bang Theory Scholarships for low-income STEM students — scholarships endowed largely by the family foundation of Chuck Lorre, co-creator of the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” — he and his family celebrated the life-changing news with a joy that still resonates four years later.
“It meant everything to know that UCLA and The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation believed in me enough to give me this incredible opportunity,” said Reid, today a UCLA microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics major. “I can focus on following my dreams and not on all the obstacles that could have held me and my fellow scholarship recipients back.”
Now, with a pledge of $24.5 million from The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation to expand the program’s resources and services, the impact on UCLA students like Reid will grow exponentially.