Community at UCLA

I remember when I joined BBSA my first year. It was the COVID year — the year where the entire year was spent online. I joined BBSA on a whim as I sought to get involved with something outside of my usual course-load, and BBSA seemed to be a nice fit for everything that I wanted. More than anything, I wanted a community, and although I knew all interactions would be virtual, I wanted to meet other women who shared the same empathetic lens from which I view community. I met amazing people my first year at BBSA, and although I was slightly intimidated by the many accomplished members and alumni that clearly held BBSA with high regard, I found a vessel from which to channel my desire to help as well as foster a sense of self within the UCLA community that I had yet to feel completely immersed in.

One of my favorite things about BBSA are the social activities that we have throughout the year that help to bond with other Belles and find those that you share common interests with. A memory that instantly pops into my head is our annual pumpkin patch trip! It is a Belle tradition (among many others) and a time to chat, catch up, and de-stress, among other things. Because above all else, Belles is a place to learn and grow, and do so in a safe and encouraging space. It is an organization that brings people together and hopefully, for anyone reading this and is not yet a part of Belles, comes to become a special part of your UCLA journey.

Izellah Sanchez

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