Bruin Belles Service Association: Blog

On September 20th, 2019, more than 4 million people, who were mostly young adults, took part in a Global Climate Strike to protest our political leaders’ failure to take action against climate change. This call to protest was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish activist, and her Fridays For Future movement. Though Greta is currently the most renowned climate activist, the Global Climate Strike was also led by many other young women, such as Isra Hirsi, Alexandria Villasenor, Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, Leah Namugerwa, Freya Brown, Adriana Salazar, and Jamie Margolin. This overwhelming leadership by young women in the global climate crisis is a true testament to our ability to inspire change and protect our planet.  Belles, too, have been doing their part to protect our planet, especially through their everyday actions. For example, many Belles use reusable water bottles and to-go cups rather than single-use plastic water bottles. Though this may appear trivial, Americans still…

The leaves have fallen, Thanksgiving Break has past, and the all turkey has been eaten.   To me, this can only mean one thing: December, the best + most magical time of the year, has finally arrived! I’ve always loved the holiday season, the sound of Christmas music on the radio, the twinkle of colorful holiday lights on the homes in my neighborhood, and the opportunity to finally break out all my warm winter coats. While this chilly month always goes hand and hand with the culmination of another quarter at UCLA and finals stress, this season always remains joyful for me when I get to spend it with my fellow Belles!
A few weeks ago, on a Sunday evening leading into Week 8, a group of Belles and I went to the 18th annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration at the Grove! This magical night was hosted by Leslie Odom, Jr. (the original Aaron Burr from Hamilton) and featured special musical performances by Issac Slade of The Fray, Tori Kelly, and Aloe Blacc. The show featured the first “snow…

To paint a picture as to how Belles has impacted my life at UCLA, I’ve decided to reflect on a recent social event put on by our Public Relations office, the Alumni Brunch! A few Saturdays ago, about fifteen current Belles and fifteen Belle Alumnae gathered together at Bplate to enjoy some yummy brunch and bond over our mutual love for Belles! There was so much love in the room, and everyone from baby Belles to recent graduates and Belle alumni from literally 40 years ago were able to connect over a shared passion for philanthropy and the friendships Belles has given each and every one of us.

I felt especially blessed to be a part of this particular event, because two of the Alumni in attendance were part of the very reason I joined Belles myself! When I first got into UCLA a year ago, my Aunt Carrie Khouri raved to me about some organization that she just loved during her time as a Bruin, where she met her still-best-friend Jill. I didn’t think too much of it, and figured that it prob…

Having joined Bruin Belles last year as a second year, I truly can see how my college experience has been shaped by this wonderful organization. During my first year at UCLA, I felt that something was missing-- a sense of belonging to a community where I felt like I could contribute to something larger than myself and a community where I would form long lasting relationships. Bruin Belles was exactly that. Joining Belles has been one of the best decisions I’ve made here at UCLA. What makes Belles so special is that every individual is so supportive of each other. I am always so in awe of how diverse, ambitious, and inspiring everyone is!

I have made so many strong friendships here. It is crazy to think that girls who were once new faces to me, are now some of my closest friends. From taking pictures at pumpkin patches to late night runs to Salt and Straw, from learning about sustainability and women’s rights to reading to kids, from singing our hearts out to High School Musical to scre…

We are now exactly one week away from graduation and I truly can’t believe it. Bittersweet is an understatement. While I am so excited for what the future for all of us holds, I can’t help but get sentimental about Bruin Belles. Coming from a small town where all of my closest friends were people I had known for 10+ years, I was naturally worried about building those kinds of lasting relationships in a school as huge as UCLA. But you know what they say, when you know, you know, and when I joined my sophomore year I immediately knew I had finally found my family at UCLA. Now, three years later, it is so hard for me to believe that I have only known these women for a few years when they truly feel like sisters.
It’s hard to comprehend that I survived most of my life without these women. These are the women with whom I can have a deep conversation about important social issues that we are passionate about one minute and be dancing around my living room and singing at the top of our lungs…

Stepping foot onto the campus at UCLA, I felt overwhelmed yet excited about the multitude of opportunities that were available for students. After reaching out to a senior friend at UCLA about her experiences, I noticed she mentioned an organization called Bruin Belles Service Association that she wished she applied to. After visiting the activities fair and the open house, I knew Bruin Belles was exactly what I was looking for at UCLA. The past two years in Belles has given me the opportunity to volunteer at autism research events, attend the American Music Awards, assist at a pie eating contest, play basketball with individuals with cognitive disabilities, and so much more. I found myself especially fascinated by the events where I worked with children and individuals with disabilities. The social implications of science and medicine was an aspect I believed had much potential needing to be unlocked. This past quarter I was fortunate to join another Belle in playing weekly basketbal…