Skip to main content

Top Speed Races with Top Notch Friends


Volunteering at the Santa Monica RunFest was the epitome of all the reasons why I love Bruin Belles. The event started super early in the morning (we left at like 5:30!), and took place along the coast of the Santa Monica Beach. The scenery in the early morning was absolutely beautiful and I was able to get a few pictures of the beach before the event started. We were given the responsibility of helping to facilitate the entire event—this included organizing all materials, checking in participants and helping in run errands throughout the run. It was so amazing getting to interact with so many different people, including both runners and the organizers of the event. I even met Howie, the host of Deal or No Deal! He asked me where the start line was for the run, and I was in such great shock, I didn’t know what to say. Instead, I gathered the ability to point toward the starting line (You would think after living 4 years in LA I would get used to being around famous people)! Anyways, the event was truly inspirational. I also met this extremely amazing older man who had run approximately 80 marathons! He was at least 70 years old and still had a huge smile on his face after completing the race. We were able to speak with him for a great deal of time as we got him water, made sure he was okay and walked him to his car. He had so many cool stories and words of encouragement, and it was an extreme pleasure being able to talk to him. As a whole I had so much respect for all the participants of the RunFest. There was a wide range of age groups from little kids running alongside their parents to older individuals. It truly motivated me to set a goal to complete a race. Also, as always, I absolutely loved hanging out with my favorite group of girls and working with them to facilitate this event. This was honestly one of my favorite events of the year. The whole time I kept thinking, “Man, I just love Bruin Belles.” 




Nicole Albanese
Distinguished Belle
Fourth Year Bruin Belle

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Imposter Syndrome and Finding Myself

The person I was when I stepped on campus 4 years ago is unrecognizable to me now. I came to college knowing that I wanted to be pre-med but having no friends or family following a similar path, I felt so lost in navigating my path on my own. I started college being terrified of failing. I was so naive and so desperate to succeed I was not taking care of myself. My second year was when I reached my lowest point. I was so depressed and lonely, I considered leaving  UCLA. I did not feel smart enough to be there, I didn’t feel likable enough because I didn’t really have friends. Joining Belles in my junior year was a big part of completely transforming my UCLA experience. Belles was the first time I felt completely embraced by a group of people. It was the first space in which I felt like everyone truly wanted the best for each other. The people and the opportunity to help others were exactly what my heart needed at that time in my life. Service is something that is so incredibly importan
Post a Comment
Read more

Finding My Community

Coming onto campus for the first time as a sophomore was especially daunting. Similar to most people, transitioning to in-person classes and dorm life was challenging. As I attended classes and other club meetings, I felt like I might have missed out on opportunities during the online year to reach out to people and make friends. Stuck with random roommates and no close friends on campus, I felt very isolated. This wasn’t the college experience that I had imagined. But then I started attending Belles meetings and events, and things began to slowly click into place.  Bruin Belles is such a uniquely amazing community where everyone is passionate about so many different things in terms of both academics and personal interests. The Belles community inspired me then and continues to encourage me to push the boundaries of my academic and professional pursuit, to put myself out there, and to carry a positive and optimistic attitude into all my endeavors. From volunteering at the LA Times Fest
Post a Comment
Read more

What I Didn't Know

  What I didn't know The morning after I got the highly anticipated call that I got into Bruin Belles, I found this bell (figure 1) on my dorm door: a door belle…get it? I can still very clearly remember the few weeks surrounding this moment. I wanted it SO BADLY! When I saw the Belles tri-fold at the enormous activities fair, I knew immediately that I needed to be a part of that community. On paper, it sounded like everything I wanted: a group of likeminded passionate women who did community service together and other social events. I worked tirelessly on my application and was so nervous for my interview that I signed up for the very first slot (Monday at 8am… yikes). I got the long-awaited call late on a Friday night. Yashvi, the public relations director at the time, told me that I had gotten in, and while still on the phone I screamed “I GOT IN!” to my roommate. My heart was beating so fast. However, I think if I had known what was to come, my heart would have beat so fast it
Post a Comment
Read more