Skip to main content

Pursuing My Passion

When I first came to UCLA, I knew that I wanted to join a student run community service organization that would enable me to simultaneously pursue my passion for volunteering while creating a network of friendships that would last a lifetime. I have found this and so much more through Bruin Belles Service Association. Not only have I been able to give back to my school and the community through a variety of philanthropy and campus culture opportunities, but I have met so many inspirational and driven women though Belles. I am very fortunate to call many Belles some of my closest friends. In addition to the numerous philanthropies and campus culture events offered, one thing that sets Bruin Belles apart is our organization's commitment to professionalism and the promotion of women's leadership. One of my favorite Belle events is our annual Women's Leadership Conference. Each year, Bruin Belles hosts a conference where we invite a diverse panel of inspirational women to speak to students, guests, and Bruin Belles at UCLA. The conference is designed to motivate and inspire young women.  This is one of my favorite events because by the end of the conference, I always walk away feeling empowered and motivated to overcome the challenges in my own life. This year I was able to play a larger role in the event by serving on the Women's Leadership Conference committee and assisted our women's leadership director in preparing for this year's conference, "Still We Rise". One of our speakers this year was our philanthropy director who spoke about overcoming her own battle with stage IV cancer. Working to successfully hold a large scale event in addition to hearing a a fellow Belle speak about her inspiring story makes me realize how truly incredible is is to be a part of an organization full of so many inspirational, passionate, and driven women who strive to make a difference in whatever they do. I am so grateful to be a Bruin Belle! 


Elizabeth Tran
Distinguished Belle
Second Year Bruin Belle

Comments

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

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

Stepping Outside my Comfort Zone

Spring Retreat 2023 was by far one of the highlights of my BBSA experience, for reasons I never expected. Throughout my second year in Belles I served as a Social DB, and for this retreat, was tasked with the job of heading the Activities Committee. A couple months of planning and preparation later, I was wracked with anxiety about being so in charge– what if nobody had fun? What if we planned too much? Too little? What if someone gets hurt, what if I screw up as a host, what if quite literally anything negative happens? It was a very rigid, unforgiving feeling, and I was then left with the personal expectation that I was going to get there and not be able to enjoy myself because of this pressure. I was terrified of letting anyone down, especially so because this was the first weekend retreat Belles has hosted in years. If anything went awry, I felt fully unprepared to handle it, but at least I could say I had considered the worst. I tried to take solace in that semblance of control,