Bruin Belles Service Association: Blog

     With the Thanksgiving season behind us and the end of the year rapidly approaching, I find myself once again flooded with reflection. This year has brought, undoubtedly, an immense amount of personal growth and transformations. I began the year in D.C, working for a Senator and preparing to travel to the Middle East in the summer. Like the rest of the world, life was quickly grounded back to my hometown in March, a place I had not spent more than 2 weeks in since graduating High School. An unexpected 6 months brought hard conversations with those I love most, reshaping of internal and external expectations, and lessons in communication.     It taught (and is still teaching me) the value of quality time and that it is OK to slow down. It brought the little wins too, something I am still learning to appreciate. I read some great books. I had the chance to rethink my role in our political system and educate myself. I learned to cook some Indian food! I went on many neighborhood walks

     Coming to UCLA, I always knew that I wanted to serve my community. I had joined a service organization my freshman year, but the club and its members were not very active, and so I didn’t feel like I was a part of a community. Bruin Belles attracted me because not only is it a philanthropy organization, but it is also an organization focused on sisterhood and fostering women’s leadership - two values that are very important to me.       I would hear from my friends that were already in Bruin Belles that the women in the organization were strong, inspiring, and kind. My one friend put it this way: each Belle is passionate and compassionate. I felt like those two values were core to who I am, and so I decided to pursue recruitment and subsequently had the honor of becoming a member.       Right from my first Bruin Belles event at the Baby Belle brunch, I saw that my friends were right about Belles. Every Belle that I met had had their own unique passions for service, some for the en

     I will always remember the night that I was accepted into Belles. I was with friends at cafe 1919 eating gelato (what a throwback) when my phone started blowing up with instagram requests from current belles. Right from the start, this made me feel so welcome. When I came home to my dorm a few hours later, I was so excited to see a cutout belle on my door with my name on it. That weekend, I met the board at the board/baby belle brunch and then the rest of the belles at fall retreat. Since that day, I have been honored to have so many amazing women in my life to look up to, learn from, and be inspired by. Whether it was my six fellow freshman baby belles, the wonderful women on executive board, or most recently my alumni mentor, I have gained so much from being in the presence of belles.       Watching senior spotlight presentations this year at general meeting, I was struck by A) how incredibly diverse in interests, passions, and experiences belles are and B) how much I learned ab

From my first day in Belles, I was in awe of the interdisciplinary outlook Belles had in their fields of interests. One Belle was passionate about combining their love for engineering and Disney, prompting them to become a Disney Imagineer. Another Belle advocated to protect the environment while also using her designing skills to create sustainable products, like bamboo utensils, for members to use. These unique interests and diverse ideas challenged me to find what I was truly passionate about and understand how I can incorporate it into my larger goal of being a respected and compassionate health care professional.  Belles has always presented a wide array of events catering to every individual’s interests. I found joy in attending our scrapbooking socials and virtual Zumba events where I felt comforted and supported in a space to explore my artistic side. By finding creative mediums to express myself with those around me, I found that I was able to connect with my fellow Belles,

As I reflect upon the past year, my heart swells with gratitude. I am so very thankful to be a part of this community. When people ask me what Bruin Belles is, I always begin with the words passionate, and compassionate. For in our multiplicity of interests, personalities, and ambitions, the shared heart of our organization is service. Whether dressed up in Belle attire or clad in old gardening clothes, some of my fondest college memories have transpired in BBSA, and I know that my time as a Bruin has been made infinitely richer through knowing and serving alongside fellow Belles. I contemplated for a while about what I wanted to share in my blog post, and I arrived at the conclusion that while being a Belle cannot be summed up in any singular experience, one poignant thread of this organization are the car rides we share on our way to, and back from an event. Whether we are squealing with delight over a Belle alumna’s recent grad school acceptance, singing our hearts out to Dan + S

Winter quarter is one of my favorite times in Belles because it means Winter Retreat - my favorite Belles event - and, thus, getting or adding to your Belles family. Coming to UCLA from Houston, Texas, I knew absolutely no one when I moved here. At such a big school, it was a truly intimidating and I constantly wondered how I would find my home here. At yet, within a few weeks at UCLA during my first year, Bruin Belles gave me that home. I immediately felt accepted, and all of the Belles events fulfilled my search to participate in meaningful and exciting activities.  However, when I got my Belles family winter quarter of my first year, that changed everything for me. Not only did I have this amazing organization to help me find my place at UCLA, I now had a three awesome women who were invested in me and who were there to specifically support me. And, it wasn’t just one way - I was there to support them as we chose to go through the ups and downs of college together. My Belles fa