Finding My Belle Family

Bruin Belles is such a great organization for so many reasons, one of which is the incredible relationships that it produces. By bringing girls together based on their values and shared passion for service and women's leadership, Bruin Belles creates so many valuable lifetime friendships. While all of these friendships are important, and I do consider all 89 other Belles my friends, sometimes you connect with a person and know almost immediately that they will be a friend for life. This is what happened when I met Nicole, who would later become my big Belle, at the Disneyland social in my first year in Belles. We immediately hit it off and were inseparable throughout the whole day. Though I didn't see Nicole much in the next month (I blame finals and winter break for keeping us apart), I was ecstatic at our Winter Retreat when I learned she was going to be my Big Belle. Since then, I've gotten to know her so much better and she's become one of my closest friends that I know I can talk to about anything.

Big Belles and Baby Belles is one of my favorite Belles traditions because it makes our organization seem a little smaller by connecting you to your Belles "family," who are chosen by executive board every year. This year, I got to add to my family with my Baby Belle Faith, a perfect addition to our cute little family. What you do with your Belles family is up to you, but Nicole, Faith, and I have family dates a few times each quarter in which we eat yummy food and talk for hours. While it may not seem like much, the connection that I and many other Belles have with our families is really special, and the Big/Baby reveal during winter quarter is how many of us find our best friends at UCLA. I am so grateful to Bruin Belles for bringing me together with my Big and Baby Belles, and for helping me create some of the best friendships in my life thus far.

Katie Gilliland
Distinguished Belle
Second Year Bruin Belle

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Enacting Greater Change in Healthcare

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,

Belle Family

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

Belles Through a Different Lense

This year has been rough! When we're living in a world where it can be scary to go outside and to interact with other humans, it's hard to make and maintain relationships. On top of that fear, it feels like almost every aspect of our lives have changed. Yet the warmth and the love of Belles has remained a constant in my life. I can still feel the impact of Belles through the sweet messages, check-ins, weekly zoom meetings, and coffee chats because Belles has created such an i ncredible network of individuals! It’s almost as good as watching the sunset after Monday Meetings outside of Royce. I’ve found myself spending a lot of time thinking of the things I will be able to do once the pandemic is over once life returns to “normal”: when I can give my friends hugs, when I can see my grandparents, when I can travel to a new city, when I can study in a library (never thought I’d miss doing that!). But Belles has managed to find a way to continue offering such incredible ev

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