Nay

Coming from a Title 1 school in the Bay Area, I never originally planned on attending a UC school due to the financial burden it would place on my family. Title 1 schools are known for being schools that are heavily dependent on federal funding to support low-income areas. As a first-generation student, the idea of getting into the #1 public university in the nation felt like a distant dream. Now, as a third-year African American Studies and Psychology major at UCLA, I am proud to represent my family.

Initially, I planned to attend Sacramento State to avoid the financial strain of a UC, so I already had one foot out the door. As a first-generation student, I was met with confusing financial aid packages that felt like a wall of nonsensical numbers. It was only after UCLA’s advisors helped me decode my Financial Aid Notification (FAN) that I saw a glimmer of hope. At 18, I took the biggest step of my life: moving away from everything I knew in the Bay Area to pursue my education at the #1 public university in the nation.

It was only after UCLA’s advisors helped me decode my Financial Aid Notification (FAN) that I saw a glimmer of hope. At 18, I took the biggest step of my life: moving away from everything I knew in the Bay Area to pursue my education at the #1 public university in the nation. Once on campus, I focused on navigating my social life and mental health. I found the support system I needed by joining Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., which provided a space for me to grow and excel. This sense of sisterhood gave me the confidence to transition from a student seeking help to a mentor helping others in my community find their own footing.

During my sophomore year, I saw an opening for a “UCLA Financial Aid Peer Advisor” and knew I had to apply. My goal was to become the person I desperately needed during my freshman year, someone to bridge the gap between complex numbers and a student’s dreams.

Samuel

When I was younger, hauling that last bit of my sister’s luggage into the truck, smelling that distinct “apartment” scent as I dropped her things off, and going to football games now and then defined my experience with college as a little kid. UCLA was all I had ever known, and where I wanted to be.

As I got older, I realized that this dream, this concept of college, wasn’t too far from my grasp, and I committed everything I could to hopefully get in. Being a first-generation student in a Latino household, and UCLA being all my immigrant parents knew, I felt a sense of pressure to uphold that standard within my family.

Reading the first line of my rejection letter left me frustrated and wanting more. You can imagine how relieved I was to see the waitlist option at the bottom of the letter, but with the number of submissions, I believed it to be a lost cause. After accepting my UCI admission and visiting the campus, I was ready to call myself a proud Anteater… up until I received an email notification about an update to my UCLA Admissions Portal. That’s right, I got in off the waitlist. I was admitted so late into the year, in fact, that I took my UCLA tours alongside transfer students who had been admitted around the same time. Late, but finally there.

As with everything, there were ups and downs along the way. Most notably, learning how to manage paying for my tuition. I recall calling my sister and once again asking her what a subsidized loan was, eventually just saying, “yes, yes, okay…” and accepting everything; a decision that I’m, admittedly, still financially recovering from.

More importantly, I remember submitting my FAFSA application in early June during my second year and feeling my heart race as my financial aid package was seemingly cut in half compared to the previous year. Being from a low-income household, my education relied heavily on financial aid, so I turned to the Financial Aid Office for clarity. Ironically enough, I was helped by my current-day supervisor, who kindly guided me and introduced me to topics that have since become second nature through my own work in the office. After being advised to submit a late FAFSA appeal, I swore from that day on to bookmark March 2nd on my calendar forever.

More than anything, it was the patience and guidance of those in the office that inspired me to give back to my community. I felt welcomed as a new admit and reassured that navigating these challenges was simply part of being a student.

Being part of the Samueli School of Engineering as an Electrical Engineering student was something I could never have fully prepared for. I remember saying, “I don’t need to study… I’ve got this!” right before my first midterm…and quickly learning what I had gotten myself into. At the beginning of my journey, I was hopeful, setting an overambitious roadmap to position myself for success in my fourth year. However, as hopeful as I may be, I am also human.

I found a few close friends through clubs, took part in technical projects, and slowly but surely began to make my mark within this institution. I often spent long hours in my room studying, wishing I had managed my time differently or committed to certain opportunities more fully. But if UCLA has taught me anything, it’s that every experience is unique. UCLA cultivates spaces that empower students with shared experiences to connect and thrive. Without the hardships I face in my day-to-day life, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate those around me.

The community I have found in the Financial Aid Office has welcomed both me and my unpredictable engineering schedule, allowing me to feel confident that I can rely on them for support. Although it can be challenging, UCLA encourages students like me to get involved, no matter how late we feel we start or how persistent imposter syndrome may be. The resources available to me have pushed me to give back to my community and embrace my chaotic, but fun, journey as a UCLA Engineering student.

Fabrizio

Hello Bruin Family! Welcome or welcome back to UCLA, and congratulations on achieving this milestone of success in your life’s journey! My name is Fabrizio, I’m a 3rd-year student majoring in Political Science at UCLA, and a first-year transfer student from El Camino College, a popular community college in the Los Angeles area. I’m hoping you’ll get to learn a thing or two about me, and maybe even find a piece of yourself within me, and my college journey. A piece that resonates with you! Like many, I graduated high school back in the Spring of 2023, with a brag sheet and academic performance that were average to say the least (or so I thought). A then oblivious, former high school senior, coming from a low-income, historically marginalized, and first-generation background, with nothing but a diploma in my hands and a head full of “what’s next?”, I hadn’t a mentor in life to advise me at the start of such a crucial, transitional period in time. A member of a graduating class impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I possessed little to no college literacy skills and attended a high school where resources were scarce, with central discussions about college being next to none. Such a background made the transition from high school to college very difficult, marking a pivotal moment in my life, as for many, where the future was uncertain, but also still in my hands. At the time, it felt as though every decision I made, or hadn’t made, both past and present, would determine my future and its success. And, I wasn’t wrong. I was, however, wrong in assuming that walking a “traditional” path was the only route to prosperity.

Two years later, I transferred into UCLA from community college. At first, I worried that I may have joined the Bruin community “too late”, unsure if I’d find my place, my community, or “my people”. But I quickly realized how common the transfer experience is at UCLA.

From living on the hill in the transfer exclusive-dormitory, to pursuing campus jobs, to now, continuing to pursue opportunities within UCLA leadership, I’m continuously met with a web of love and support from all kinds of people willing to make me feel welcomed at UCLA. If your path to UCLA has been a bit “different” (community college, working full-time, taking a gap year, being financially independent, having dependents, etc.), you belong here too, and you’re not alone! The UCLA community is exceptional at cultivating spaces for everyone!

 For any students attending a community college, working full-time, taking a gap year, being financially independent, or having dependents, you are non-traditional students too, and you are not alone! You are welcomed here! And UCLA is exceptional at cultivating spaces for everyone!

Now, in my time here at UCLA, I’ve learned the value of time, to cherish every moment, and honor every action, encouraging Bruins to get involved and to do so early! UCLA is full of opportunities that will help you succeed in every aspect of the word.

Through my work at UCLA Financial Aid and Scholarships, I’ve been able to serve my fellow Bruins while sharpening the skills that I want to carry into a future of education advocacy and policymaking. These personal and professional experiences continue to fuel my passion.

The UCLA experience constantly gives me tools to grow, reflect, and go far and wide, paying it forward and enacting change in people’s lives. Just as it continually happens to me, I am excited to see what UCLA has in store for you! Welcome home, and Go Bruins!