Cemil Revan Purington

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“An old soul who loves good food, an interesting book, and napping with my cat.”

Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Fun Fact About Yourself: My left eye is green, and my right eye is blue.

Undergraduate School and Major: Princeton University, Art History

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Product Lead at Levo

UCLA Anderson is founded on the Three Pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? Sharing success resonates with me most because it speaks to reality of life. None of us is an island unto ourselves, and, no matter who you are, everything we accomplish occurs in collaboration with someone, even if you aren’t aware of it. I wouldn’t be where I am today without so much help from others, and it’s important to pay that support forward.

What makes Los Angeles such a great place to earn an MBA? When you’re in LA, life feels dynamic. The diversity of cultures, industries, and lifestyles exposes you to new ways of thinking and societal challenges you weren’t aware of, and opportunities to create meaningful value for society.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of UCLA Anderson’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The Parker Career Center is a huge differentiator. Having had many roles and navigated multiple career transitions in my life, it can be tough to connect the dots in your story and articulate the value you bring to a new career path. With Parker, you quickly realize they’re genuinely interested in who you are, helping you sort out your goals, shape your story, and land where you want to be.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at UCLA Anderson? The technology-focused opportunities at Anderson excite me because they reflect where the world is headed. AI is still so new that no one has all the answers, but courses on technology development and management provide me with a foundation to understand where it might be headed. Joining AnderTech will add another layer, connecting me with classmates from diverse backgrounds to collaborate, experiment, and think creatively about real-world applications for AI that deliver long-term value to society.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2027? Empathy probably isn’t the first word you associate with an MBA, but it completely shapes the impact you leave behind. I hope to motivate my class by helping them recognize that having a positive effect on someone’s life doesn’t require huge resources or influence; it can help today, in the smallest of ways, and yet still have a truly meaningful impact on the world around us. We don’t have to wait until we’re in the C-Suite, we can show up and get involved in the Los Angeles to drive real change.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During the pandemic, I led a video studio team producing fitness classes for a fitness technology platform. It was demanding work under stressful circumstances, but also deeply rewarding because we were helping people care for their physical and mental well-being during a difficult time. Even though everyone was stuck at home, our classes created a sense of community, connection, and support that brought people together when they needed it most.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? I hope to direct product at a health-tech organization, leveraging AI and digital solutions to make healthcare more accessible and equitable, particularly for underserved communities.

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.