Bruin Belles Service Association: Blog

Volunteering at the Santa Monica RunFest was the epitome of all the reasons why I love Bruin Belles. The event started super early in the morning (we left at like 5:30!), and took place along the coast of the Santa Monica Beach. The scenery in the early morning was absolutely beautiful and I was able to get a few pictures of the beach before the event started. We were given the responsibility of helping to facilitate the entire event—this included organizing all materials, checking in participants and helping in run errands throughout the run. It was so amazing getting to interact with so many different people, including both runners and the organizers of the event. I even met Howie, the host of Deal or No Deal! He asked me where the start line was for the run, and I was in such great shock, I didn’t know what to say. Instead, I gathered the ability to point toward the starting line (You would think after living 4 years in LA I would get used to being around famous ...

The first thing that the Board Members said, as they stood up in their colorful, coral shirts at Fall Retreat, was, “The best decision I ever made was deciding to come to UCLA. The second best was joining Bruin Belles. Welcome to the family.” At this time, I was a freshman who had only been in school for a little over a month, and this statement was just the thing that I had been waiting to hear from someone since I had started at such a large campus. Since that fateful day, I have taken part in countless philanthropy events on campus and around the Los Angeles area, gone on hikes, and most importantly, eaten A LOT of great food. Bruin Belles has taken me on adventures that a small-town girl like me never would have dreamed of. Being one of the eight freshmen to be apart of Bruin Belles this year, I have only had the pleasure of being apart of this organization for a few months. Not only has Bruin Belles made me feel like apart of the UCLA campus, it has also shown me that the true w...

In my first year as a Bruin Belle, I can truly say that this organization has transformed me more as a leader and a person than any other experience I’ve had. Although I was far from shy when I applied for Belles, I had yet to find my place in the huge, diverse, and slightly intimidating student body at UCLA. Now, with only a few months as a Belle under my belt, I truly feel as though I have gained a family of some of the most passionate, intelligent, and caring girls you can find at UCLA. My fellow Belles inspire me every single day by going above and beyond the amazing philanthropy events we participate in and dedicating even more time to service; whether it’s through a diverse selection of other UCLA clubs, their jobs, or extra volunteering. It is my belief that one of the best ways to improve yourself as a person is to surround yourself with good people who you can look up to, and this is one of the main ways I think Bruin Belles ha...

Press Box! Now that winter quarter is in full swing and UCLA’s football season is officially over, I’m finding that something is missing in my life for two reasons: 1) no football and 2) no Press Box. Press Box is one of my most favorite events of fall quarter because it combines two of my most favorite things: Belles and football. When Belles volunteer with Press Box, our responsibilities include obtaining, copying, and distributing game statistics to the coaches, Rose Bowl officials, and media (which includes newspapers, like the Daily Bruin and LA Times, but also HUGE networks like Fox and ESPN). We’re up in the media room, statistics box, and audio-visual tech rooms, seeing everything firsthand and behind the scenes. Once, we even got to stand at the 30-yard line and watch the end of the game right from the field! It’s a really, really fun and unique experience that I’m glad our Campus Culture office offers year after year. I didn’t really realize how important it was tha...

I constantly tell people that joining Bruin Belles freshman year was arguably the best decision I made that year.   I am a second year now and I still think it was my best idea.   I remember looking for a way to get involved and Belles jumped out at me at the Activities Fair.   What could be more perfect than a group of 90 quirky, beautiful, driven women all bonded together by their love of philanthropy (and sometimes delicious food)?   If you find something better, let me know.   It’s hard to pick a favorite Belle event from the past year because there are just too many.   The best part is that I get to bond with fellow Belles while doing philanthropy events. I just ran the We Run This City 5k with Belles, which is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, as well as a competition between UCLA and USC.   I think that perfectly embodies Belles.   We love UCLA, philanthropy, and each other.   I can’t wait for the rest of this ye...

To our Alumni and BBSA Supporters, When I first joined Bruin Belles Service Association at the beginning of my freshman year at UCLA, I never would have guessed that it would come to be the defining aspect of my college experience that it has. I am constantly in awe of the dedication, compassion and enthusiasm that exudes from every girl in this organization, and it is for this reason that I believe BBSA truly is a gem when it comes to student groups, not only at UCLA, but at all different schools. As hard as it is to imagine, each year in BBSA only gets better and better, building upon the foundations created by years and Belles before, and then flourishing in its own unique way. The 2012-2013 Executive Board met over the summer to plan out our vision for the entire year, and we decided that the three characteristics of BBSA that we really wanted to emphasize this year are community, opportunity and integrity. Being a Bruin Belle is very much about serving our commun...