Skip to main content

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 Festival of Books, to attending movie nights, festive socials, Baby Belle brunches and retreats, I was able to really cultivate some of my own passions outside of class. I was able to learn more about myself and I found some of my closest friends in this tight-knit sisterhood.


Bruin Belles helped me carve a space in the larger UCLA community where I could connect with others and grow to be more confident and adventurous.


Belle Love,

Ishika Seth
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion DB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

Finding My Home

  My time as a Bruin Belle has been incredibly transformative. This exceptional group of empowered women has not only enriched my college experience but also inspired me to make a lasting impact on the world. Entering UCLA, I was eager to find a community that aligned with my passion for service and personal growth. Joining the Bruin Belles provided that and more—a warm embrace within the vast UCLA landscape. At the core of our experience is our dedication to service, from local volunteer work to impactful fundraisers. We take action, build connections, and create change within our community. Being a Belle has given me the opportunity to volunteer for initiatives such as dog adoption, environmental activism, food insecurity, education advocacy, and houselessness. Through volunteering in various areas of our community, I have found purpose and a newfound passion for advocacy. Additionally, BBSA is more than a service organization to me; we are a sisterhood that fosters leadership. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Senior's Reflection

A Senior's Reflection   As my time at UCLA and Belles comes to an end, I want to reflect on all the experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have over the past years. I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many great people, many of whom I have found through Belles. This community has given me so much and I could not be more appreciative. It provided such a welcoming and open space for me to grow as a person when I first arrived on campus at UCLA after a full year of online school. With the time I have been given in Westwood,  I have been challenged academically, learned to embrace independence and time alone, and have learned more about myself in the process. That is truly a gift.   That being said, some of my favorite and most impactful Belle events have been Meals on Wheels and Baby2Baby. Meals on Wheels was an amazing experience, and I truly felt like I was making a difference in the community. Through this organization, we packed meals and distributed them to older adu...
Post a Comment
Read more