On my first day of college, I carried a book bag in hand and an M16 rifle on my back. I can still distinctly remember that evening like it was a few weeks ago. I was so excited and nervous and exhausted all at once. For years, I had dreamt of attending college and there…
Category: Why I Chose UCLA
Choosing UCLA meant choosing community
When I chose UCLA back in 2017, it was a no-brainer. Growing up around the LA area, there was nothing really new or special about it. I came up here for summer programs and field trips at least once every year in high school. I didn’t even visit the other schools I was considering after…
A Transfer, a Bruin, an Optimist!
I would be lying to you if I said UCLA was my dream school. As a matter of fact, I had no dream school. I knew so little about the higher education system that sometimes I am amazed that I am here today 6 weeks away from graduation. However, I always knew I would go…
Searching for today, but instead I found tomorrow
Early on in my schooling, I internalized messages that college was not for me. As a first-generation, low-income, non-traditional Chicano student, I clearly remember being told by my high school science teacher to “get used to taking order at McDonald’s” after him accusing me of being drunk. In addition to these messages, I was also…
Learning and Growing at UCLA
At nine years old, a random thought popped into my head: “I’m going to go to UCLA.” I have no idea where this idea came from. No one I knew had ever gone to UCLA. Quite frankly, I do not know when or where I heard about the university, but I knew wanted to be…
What UCLA truly offers
I first stepped foot on UCLA’s campus when my older brother was touring colleges to try and get a sense of where he would apply. Although I was only a freshman in high school at the time, the campus had alluring control over me. I was aware of UCLA’s historically dominant academic and athletic programs…
UCLA Bruin Blog 