When UCLA senior Taylor Bazley takes part in the upcoming commencement events, he’ll be thinking about both the promising future that he’s embarking on and a bittersweet childhood he’s left behind.

Bazley, the son of a single mother who couldn’t work because of a disability, grew up poor in San Diego. The family didn’t own a car, and Bazley didn’t have a cell phone until his senior year in high school. He didn’t own a laptop until he started college.

But he didn’t allow any of that to prevent him from succeeding.

"My mom was so supportive," Bazley said. "I was loved and we had all the basics, and I really didn’t feel like I needed anything extra."

Bazley will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the UCLA College on June 13. He was accepted into the highly competitive Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, a nine-month training program that each year accepts 64 students nationwide and which he starts this fall. The program also guarantees students a spot in a public affairs graduate program.

"I feel very fortunate and want to get involved in political activism to create more opportunities for people like me," said Bazley, who is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding leadership and service, and recipients wear a blue and gold fourragère at commencement ceremonies.

► More Commencement 2014 stories and photos.

Bazley will become the first in his family to graduate from college. He credits his mother’s insistence on college, as well as his education and experiences at the UCLA, with changing his life.

"Most people born into poverty stay there," said Bazley, adding that many of his high school friends didn’t attend a four-year university and dropped out of community college. "I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones who escaped poverty."

Bazley participated in more than 30 different student groups and initiatives while at the university.

"UCLA took a chance on me when I was accepted, and I wanted to give back as much as I could," he added. "I’m very passionate about this university, and that passion fueled everything I did at UCLA."

Bazley was chair of the UCLA Fund’s Student Giving Committee, whose mission is to create a strong connection between students and the university and encourage them to donate early on in their careers.

He often spoke to potential UCLA donors as the student representative on the UCLA Fund’s Board of Directors, said Sarah Andrews, assistant director of student giving for the UCLA Fund.

"It’s fulfilling for donors to know they are helping students like Taylor," Andrews said. "Their donations make it possible for many students to come to UCLA."

"Once they’re here at UCLA, many students who receive scholarships take it upon themselves to give back to the university as much as they can," she added. "That makes it even more rewarding for donors."

In addition to his involvement with the Student Giving Committee, Bazley, who is gay, also joined a fraternity while at UCLA. He joined the LGBT Leadership Council and created an organization, First Step, for LGBT students who are members of the Greek system to discuss their experiences.

Bazley created a third slate, Bruin Alliance, which ran two candidates in the 2013 student government elections.

Most student elections at UCLA include candidates from two slates that each draw from specific student groups and populations. Bruin Alliance, Bazley said, included students who might feel excluded from those groups.

Bazley ran for president and lost, but he said the experience paved the way for more slates to run candidates in student government elections. In this year’s student elections, four slates participated.

"I really think this is one of the best universities in the world," Bazley said about his political activism. "I always felt compelled to give back."