Welcome Retreat

For Ellie Hwang, BS 26, the newly renovated Miaad and Albert Bushala Undergraduate Commons is more than a bright and inviting room to rest between class. 

The space, located in the Bank of America Forum at Haas, was designed to nurture community and foster collaboration with a range of seating options that include private “pods,” easy chairs, couches, and tables. 

“In the past, we had one long table and one long couch,” says Hwang, the Haas Business Student Association president who helped reimagine the lounge as part of a student task force. “Now it’s a more flexible space. The chairs and tables can be pulled apart, and groups can come together and study. It’s inviting.”

The renovation includes new technology to assist in meetings and presentations, modular furniture, a kitchenette, and keycard access limited to Haas undergraduates.

Task force member Arnav Jamwal, BS 26, developed a survey that gathered peer input about the space, which many wanted to be open and comfortable, like the MBA lounge. 

“Our focus was flexibility,” he says. “We wanted the space to feel warm and inviting and something more than just a study space.”

The renovation was made possible with a $1 million gift from Miaad and Albert Bushala, whose daughter, Miaad Madeline Bushala, BS 25, noted the space’s unrealized potential and inspired them to make the gift. Miaad helped design the space with fellow task force members during her senior year at Haas. 

“Common spaces, as we see it, are just as important as classrooms,” say benefactors Miaad and Albert. “In these spaces, students can apply their skills, collaborate, learn, and come up with and execute their amazing ideas.” Their gift also includes a named lounge in Chou Hall available to all students.

Opened since the semester’s start, the renovated lounge provides a welcome retreat for undergraduates. 

Cindy Le, BS 28, who also served on the student task force, says the new lounge is a marked improvement from its former state, especially in terms of the lighting and layout, which easily allows for both solo and group work. “Now I go there for quiet time to study and digest what I’ve learned in class,” she says. “It’s a space where I can properly focus.”