My name is Emily Sweet. In about two weeks, I will graduate from UCLA with a B.A. in Communication and as my time here nears an end, I feel immensely hopeful. You are about to embark on your UCLA journey, and my best advice is to welcome this community and its opportunities with open arms. 

I chose UCLA in the spring of 2019, and I choose UCLA every day. I feel the student body distinguishes this school. There is something so powerful about being able to find a supportive group of people that are electrically motivated, insanely accomplished, and wildly fun. I have met people here that will be with me for life and I am continually impressed by the caliber of the community here. I always return to learning and the education this school has provided me. It is truly invaluable and I cannot wait for you all to experience the engagement and rigor I feel at UCLA. 

I fell in love with learning at an extremely young age. During my first year at UCLA, I was completely immersed in the classes I took. I was able to explore things like screenwriting and music on an academic level for the first time. I applied for things, got rejected from things, skipped classes I should have attended, went to classes I should have skipped, and spent a lot of money on ice cream from the vending machines of the Rieber Hall lobby. 

In my job as a campus tour guide, we end our tours by talking about our personal experiences that led us to UCLA. To me, the most important thing to emphasize is that college is holistic. And that means the ups and downs. It is not a linear journey for anyone, but what builds character is how we as students and people can adapt and grow within our journeys. UCLA will allow you to find strength in yourself and continued growth if you embrace your time here. 

The last four years presented extremely difficult personal challenges and mental health struggles that began to consume me toward the start of my second year. I was deteriorating, quite literally a shell of who I used to be, and I had to step away from college. I took a quarter off from UCLA to focus on my mental health and moved back home to the Bay Area during the fall of my third year. It took me time to grapple with that, so many people I knew from UCLA were studying abroad and I was at home watching Jeopardy with my parents (I’ll admit my trivia skills are VERY good now). UCLA made it possible for me to take the time I needed to focus on myself. As an institution, UCLA did this, and as a community, UCLA did this. During that period, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I needed and wanted in my life and how I could genuinely grow as a person. I seriously considered if transferring to another university would be better for me, but my gut said to go back to Westwood. 

What saved me in such a challenging time and during my transition back to college was how easy UCLA made it for me to reconnect with my love for learning. Being able to ground myself in education that genuinely engaged me helped me heal and grow. I opted for an extra class in my last quarter: an Italian film, literature, and opera course that didn’t align with my graduation requirements. After being so engrossed in Professor Rushing’s class last quarter, I decided that I would take literally whatever course he taught this quarter (with absolutely no regrets). I’ve been known to start talking about what I learned in my music and gender lectures during parties (Is SZA’s “SOS” an emo album?… You might be surprised). Last night, I spent about ten minutes boring my roommate with a thorough regurgitation of how inequality and success are correlated in entertainment markets from an economic perspective. UCLA has pushed me to challenge myself intellectually and truly embody a lifelong learner. 

As I write this, about two weeks away from graduating with a degree from the #1 Public University, it’s overwhelming. I’m not the same person I was when I entered UCLA, and you won’t be either. But college is a time for personal exploration and growth. UCLA showed me how to find strength and resilience within myself, and I am forever grateful for that. 

More than anything, UCLA has given me a practical set of skills and tools to help me overcome both internal and external challenges. I feel capable of taking on my next chapter and devoting myself into new opportunities in ways that will challenge and fulfill me. There is no “right way” to experience college – your journey is yours, and doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. And at the end of the day, there is truly nothing more important than your own well-being. 

This is a school of dreams, and this is a school of opportunities. You belong here and you are accepted here. I cannot wait to see what you accomplish.