Perris McCracken was 16 years old the first time she stepped onto the UCLA campus. As a member of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, she was invited to perform on stage at Royce Hall, the iconic Romanesque auditorium that overlooks UCLA's central quad. Though it was a quick introduction to the university, McCracken said, something in the air that day told her she'd be back.

“It planted a seed that I needed to live out," said McCracken, who grew up in the Los Angeles area. "I needed to come back and feel I’m a Bruin."

Twenty years later, McCracken is still a dancer, working out of a studio near her home. She's also just months away from realizing her dream of becoming a UCLA alum.

Set to graduate from UCLA Extension's Commercial Real Estate Certificate Program next spring, McCracken said she enrolled in the program because it gave her the opportunity to deepen her understanding of the industry without interrupting her career. That she'll also get to walk the commencement stage as an official UCLA Bruin is a bonus.

"I just feel a thirst to gain knowledge," McCracken said. "I want to know all that I can about the commercial real estate world."

In truth, McCracken says, it was real estate that found her, not the other way around. A three-month temp position for Doerken Properties Inc., a commercial real estate firm, in 2018 turned into a four-year full-time job. She now works as a portfolio administrator for the property investment firm Redcar Properties in Santa Monica. In addition to learning about trends in commercial real estate, McCracken said, the certificate program helped her chart out the next steps in her career – partly by introducing her to a supportive community that made her believe in her ability to succeed.

For program director Mark Ramseyer, it's no coincidence that McCracken found a sense of confidence and camaraderie while pursuing her certificate. Students who enroll in UCLA Extension's real estate certificate programs come from all different backgrounds, he said. Some are entirely new to the field, while others take courses to earn credit for their real estate sales licenses.

Alongside the commercial real estate program, UCLA Extension offers three additional real estate certificates, covering the fundamentals of the industry, investment and finance, and general business studies. In each, students bring different perspectives and are often eager to share their experiences with their classmates, Ramseyer said.

“You're going to learn as much from the other people in your classes as you do from the instructors," said Ramseyer. "That's a huge advantage in a field where networking is really important, like real estate.”

Indeed, many UCLA Extension students are already working in the real estate industry and simply looking for ways to better understand the market. Oscar Diaz, who completed the Real Estate Investment and Finance Certificate program, originally planned to take just a few classes, but quickly realized how much was left to learn.

“The more I looked into the program, the more I saw how much value it could add to how I look at properties and how I advise clients,” Diaz said.

Even while working up to 60 hours a week as a multi-family broker, Diaz completed his certificate by taking online and in-person classes at night. Like McCracken, the coursework gave him a newfound sense of belief in himself.

“I am a real estate broker, so this is what I do, day in and day out,” Diaz said. “I knew a lot of this stuff from a surface level, but I felt like the program did a really good job on providing frameworks and helping me better understand specifics, and that translated to more confidence in my day-to-day.”

Even for seasoned real estate professionals, continuing to learn is essential because the industry is always evolving, said Tony Papillo, an instructor. He noted that the program offers flexibility for working professionals, allowing them to learn at their own pace and complete the certificate in their own time.

“Our school, our classes, are dedicated to having students walk away with not just the ability to take an examination to get a license to practice real estate, but knowledge they will carry with them for the rest of their career,” Papillo said.

For McCracken, that kind of long-term thinking is precisely what has made her return to UCLA so worthwhile.

“It's not just a step in, step out," McCracken said. "This is very much a career-building focus for the well-rounded path.”