 Matthew de Lira
UCLA – American Indian Studies
Matthew de Lira was born and raised in San Diego, California. He began his college career at Chapman University in Orange, California where he met and came under the mentorship of Paul Apodaca, a Navajo scholar who teaches as a UCLA American Indian Studies Adjunct Professor and who received his M.A. in American Indian Studies and Ph.D. in Folklore and Mythology from UCLA. After taking several classes with Dr. Apodaca and conducting research under his wing, Matt through exploring his own history and culture became intrigued by the culture and intellectual diversity of the field and transferred to UCLA in 2005 as an American Indian Studies major.
While at UCLA as an undergraduate, Matt participated in American Indian Recruitment and volunteered as a tutor and mentor at the American Indian Club House in downtown Los Angeles. Graduating in 2007 with a B.A. in American Indian Studies Matt received the Chancellor's Service Award for his work at the American Indian Club House. Soon after graduation Matt began as a graduate student in the Master of Arts for American Indians Studies and during the year applied for the joint degree program with the School of Law. Matt is interested in applying his law degree toward American Indian intellectual property and its role at the tribal level.
Matt being a strong advocate of the pursuit of higher education and goal actualization has been engaged as a student and mentor in the summer programs for the UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships. After studying abroad in Rome, Italy for a semester he has become submersed into fine culinary cooking. He loves old rock 'n' roll tunes and plays the piano. With blue and gold running through his veins, he's a devoted 'student section' participant and an avid UCLA sports enthusiast.
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