Skip to main content

Week 9 "Belle-time"

The beginning of week 9… it’s a signal that the seemingly never ending midterms season is finally concluded, which means that it’s time to lift our gazes up from our notebooks and look toward the next daunting milestone in the quarter system: finals. This short transition period this quarter was leaving me with an unshakeable feeling of apprehension. On the Wednesday afternoon of week 9, I did what many of us do when panic sets in: I called my mom.
After venting all of my stresses to my wonderfully listening mother, she asked me if I had any Belles events going on this week. I told her I was going to Challah for Hunger that night, and she said “There you go! You’ll have some great ‘Belle-time’ and everything will be fine again!”
My all-knowing mom was right. Challah for Hunger, an event at UCLA Hillel in which volunteers roll and fold challah bread for a weekly charity bake, has become one of my very favorite Belles events. 
The atmosphere in the room was exceptionally positive. The bake incorporated the best aspects of Belles philanthropy events: we were taking a break from studying by giving our time to an admirable cause and truly enjoying our time spent together volunteering. I caught up on some of my closest friends’ lives as I drizzled caramel and sprinkled chocolate chips into the dough. The upbeat music kept the room lively, while baby Belles, general members, DBs, and board members bonded over the difficulty of closing the dough around the slippery caramel. Thoughts of quickly approaching week 10 finals and overcommitments to meetings faded away. 

Rather than Belles requirements serving as more time commitments in a packed schedule, they consistently provide Belles with an outlet in which we give our time and effort to a philanthropic organization. Although it sounds cliché, the more I’ve invested myself and engaged with Belles events, the more perspective I’ve gained about communities at UCLA and in the LA area, as well as about how I fit into that bigger picture. An understanding of how my education and involvement in BBSA can affect these communities has become so important to me and makes me appreciate my time spent with Belles at events like Challah for Hunger.

 Kelsey Warren,
Fundraising Distinguished 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