Bruin Belles Service Association: Blog

Imagine delicious BBQ food, a mechanical bull, the biggest cotton candy you've ever seen, and about 25 of your friends. This is what Bruin Belles Winter Party was like when we had dinner at Saddle Ranch in West Hollywood. Each quarter, the Social Director and Distinguished Belles in the Social office organize an exciting dinner party for Belles. This year, winter party took place on a Thursday evening which was the perfect way to break up the monotony of the school week. I really enjoyed laughing and eating with some of my best friends. Although I didn't ride the mechanical bull, it was fun to watch others try to stay on the bull as long as possible! In addition to the fun atmosphere, the food was delicious. Just look how big the cotton candy was! I love getting the opportunity to spend quality time with my Belles and make memories that will last a lifetime. Giuliana Battaglini Distinguished Belle Second Year Bruin Be...

For the last four years, Monday Bruin Belles meetings have been a weekly joy. In the fall I began an internship at a non-profit and while I was initially so sad to have to miss Monday meetings, my experiences at the NCJW strengthened my passion for BBSA and allowed me to bring our mission of women’s leadership, service, and professionalism to life. Bruin Belles heavily emphasizes the importance of being a professional young lady however I didn’t realize exactly how much the lessons learned from BBSA would influence my workplace conduct. Bruin Belles taught me so many crucial skills that allowed me to succeed in my place of work. I was able to utilize so much from my time with Bruin Belles; everything from communication, work ethic, and business attire!  I used the service-oriented way of thinking that Belles helped foster to work on empowerment programs for underserved women and children. I was able to use the skills obtained from working on the Bruin Belles Women’s Leadership Conf...

This quarter, for the first time ever, I was able to host my very own social event and I am so happy to say that it was a success! I decided to have a Friday afternoon coffee date at Espresso Profeta in Westwood, and five Belles joined me – Clarissa, Siena, Abby, Madeline, and my very own Baby Belle, Carleigh. It was a typical February day in LA - a little overcast and cool but the perfect weather for warm lattes. I am a huge coffee addict, but I had never been to this adorable little coffee shop that is so close to campus, and I loved experiencing it for the first time with my Belles. We sat in the outside terrace, sipping our coffee and chatting about the week, and it was the perfect relaxing start to my busy weekend ahead. Hanging out with Belles, even in such a simple setting, always brightens my day and energizes my spirit, with or without caffeine! Allison Grenda Distinguished Belle Second Year Bruin Belle

In the ancient Japanese tradition of senbazuru, it is said that anyone who receives 1,000 origami cranes will be granted one wish of good health. In February, Bruins Fighting Pediatric Cancer (BFPC) and National Residence Hall Honorary True Bruin Chapter (NRHH at UCLA) hosted their 7 th annual Cranes for Cancer. This event is dedicated towards spreading awareness about pediatric cancer and helping to grant pediatric cancer patients’ wishes come true. The group wants these children who are suffering from cancer to know that people love and care about them. Everyone was welcome to join in on the cause, whether you were a professional at the art of crane folding or learning for the first time. Each 1,000 cranes that were folded was placed inside a shadow box to be delivered to a child undergoing cancer treatments at the Mattel’s Children’s Hospital UCLA. It was truly a heartwarming experience to see video clips capturing the moments of a child’s eyes light up when they received one of t...

Bruin Belles is such a great organization for so many reasons, one of which is the incredible relationships that it produces. By bringing girls together based on their values and shared passion for service and women's leadership, Bruin Belles creates so many valuable lifetime friendships. While all of these friendships are important, and I do consider all 89 other Belles my friends, sometimes you connect with a person and know almost immediately that they will be a friend for life. This is what happened when I met Nicole, who would later become my big Belle, at the Disneyland social in my first year in Belles. We immediately hit it off and were inseparable throughout the whole day. Though I didn't see Nicole much in the next month (I blame finals and winter break for keeping us apart), I was ecstatic at our Winter Retreat when I learned she was going to be my Big Belle. Since then, I've gotten to know her so much better and she's become one of my closest friends tha...

There are a lot of ways to spend a Saturday morning but, in my opinion, one of the best ways is volunteering with Saturday Opportunities for Adaptive Recreation.   With SOAR, Bruin Belles get the unique opportunity to spend one-on-one time with kids with disabilities by playing sports, hip-hop dancing, or doing arts and crafts.   This Saturday, I played soccer with a group some of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.   Their determination and positive outlook in the face of each of their considerable difficulties was inspiring, as were their considerable soccer skills.   Each Saturday I spend with SOAR leaves me in awe and gushing to everyone who will listen about how amazing the experience was.   Needless to say, SOAR is a Belle favorite and I am so thankful for the opportunity this incredible organization has given me to expand my horizons and be an active member of my community through volunteer work.   My college experience has ...

Disneyland and Belles, my two favorite things! I love that a Belles Disneyland trip at the end of Winter Quarter has become somewhat of a tradition now, and I hope it continues for many years to come. It’s such a nice break from impending finals, and seeing as Belles are pretty much Disney princesses anyway (we even share our name with one!), it’s the perfect place to go. From wildly spinning in teacups to watching the fireworks to eating churros, we had so much fun and made so many memories. I especially loved bonding with the new Baby Belles, because what better way to get to know someone than to spend an entire day at Disneyland with them? All in all, it was a magical day filled with so much laughter and fun. Can’t wait for next year! Allison Grenda Distinguished Belle Second Year Bruin Belle