Belle Family Forever

One of my favorite parts of Belles are Belle families which are essentially little “families” within Bruin Belles where everyone has a Big Belle and Little Belle. At our annual winter retreat, we run around campus in our pajamas, playing games and uncovering who our Little Belle or Big Belle is going to be. My sophomore year, we were given clues throughout the night to figure out who our Big/Little Bell was going to be. We had filled out a questionnaire earlier that week and they used those clues to give to your pair. I still remember that for the question “Who is one of you woman role models?” I wrote Marie Curie. Then, when I received my Little Belle’s answer, it was Marie Curie as well! I then knew the match with my friend, Liz, was meant to be <3. As a family, we bake together, go out to dinner, do homework, and just hang out. It’s a great way to become better friends with different woman in the organization and is one of my favorite Belle traditions.

Amberly Bark
Distinguished Belle

Image may contain: 3 people, including Megan Steidle and Karen Bryan, people smiling

Image may contain: 3 people, including Megan Steidle and Karen Bryan, people smiling

$C:\Users\amber\Downloads\IMG-4332.JPG$

Comments

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

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

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

Bruin Belles Service Association: Blog

Search This Blog