HaU BLOG Posts
Hi chules!! My name is Sofi Garza, and I'm a first-year majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. I can't believe I already have two quarters at UCLA under my belt, I feel like everything is going by so fast. I knew going to UCLA was going to be both fun and challenging for me. As much as I love UCLA, I was a little nervous to start here because I'm an out-of-state student so I didn't know anybody coming in. I also have never been to a school as big as UCLA; I'm more used to the tightly-knit community that my small high school had to offer. But when I got to UCLA and walked around campus, sometimes never seeing a familiar face and just a faceless mass of strangers, I was intimidated. But I knew going to UCLA would be good for me because it would help me branch out of my comfort zone. I'm an introverted person by nature, which means socializing and interacting with people can be emotionally exhausting sometimes. Because UCLA is so big, the number of people I interact with daily has skyrocketed. As much as I love getting to know people and making friends, sometimes all I want to do after a long day is go to my dorm room to relax and recharge my social battery. It's sometimes difficult to balance the desire to maintain friendships while also taking care of your social and emotional health. Last quarter, I had a lot more difficulty striking that balance. Last quarter, the social aspect of college overwhelmed me, and I often had a tendency to stay in rather than go out to meet a friend. My fear of social rejection from friends often stopped me from reaching out to people. But I knew that if I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, I would be able to grow as a person and feel more confident about my friendships and relationships. Branching out and making new friends was one of my main goals when coming to UCLA. For me, I would rather have the opportunity to make life-lasting memories with friends than miss out on that opportunity because I was too nervous to invite a friend to lunch or coffee. This quarter I was determined to stay true to this goal even when it was much easier for me to not do so. As a result, I met up with friends from last quarter more and developed new friendships with people that I met in my winter quarter classes. The fun times I had with my new friends helped diminish my fear of being rejected, because now I knew it wasn't a reality most of the time because people always want to make friends. I hope that next quarter I can reflect on what I learned from my experiences this quarter and continue to grow in my self-confidence and self-esteem. If you've ever felt nervous to put yourself out there, know that you're not alone. I want you to know that there are so many amazing opportunities waiting for you out there, all you have to do is believe in yourself and seize the moment!
XOXO, Sofi Garza
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Winter quarter has been by far the most challenging quarter for me yet. Maybe it was the uncertainty of the present, not feeling motivated to leave my room, the lack of interaction with other people or the increasing amount of responsibilities I’ve had… or all of the above. It has taken a toll on me mentally but towards the end I found that even stepping outside for a few minutes would instantly improve my mood. Being surrounded by nature and breathing fresh air gave me peace. Some of the best days involved me simply walking somewhere, sitting on a field, or hopping on a bus and exploring new places. Who would have thought huh? So my advice to you all is to go outside and touch some grass… literally. And if you ever feel lost, find the thing that gives you peace.
Con cariño, Karen You are capable! You are more than enough! You are intelligent! You are kind! You are growing! As members of the Latine community, there are an abundance of social forces that seek to put us down. However, we deserve to take up space and utilize opportunities at important institutions such as UCLA. Some of us face backlash because of our legal status, others of us have struggled with low socioeconomic status, and most of us have dealt the plights of machismo. Regardless, we persist and accomplish amazing things. To all my hermanas, I am incredibly proud of all that you’ve accomplished this quarter. You deserve to be celebrated and appreciated, and my hope is that I have made you put your doubts aside for a moment to realize how amazing you are. Con mucho amor, Andrea Diaz
Having the opportunity to live in Westwood this past school year has allowed me to meet some of my closest friends to this day. I still find it hard to believe that I was able to grow close to so many people at a rapid pace, but nonetheless I am glad I did. I have experienced so many memorable moments these past few months with my floormates, most that I will cherish forever. In my collage above, I included images of the people who have helped me get through the year, from going to grab lunch to much needed late night deep conversations and laughs. Prior to the start of my 1st year at UCLA, I was afraid of not finding my own crowd at such a big institution. Fast forward a few months, and HaU has allowed me to grow closer to so many hermanas who are from similar backgrounds, yet unique in our own individual ways. It is nice to have that group of people who know how to have fun, but who also hold each other accountable when it comes to school work. Through HaU, I was able to meet so many new faces, including both of my amazing roommates Itzel & Olivia. I love the idea of knowing that they are not only my roommates for the rest of our college years, but two of my closest friends who will forever be a part of my life.
as winter qaurter is ending, i got a spurt of motivation. im so excited for whats to come and on this vision board are all my goals <333
During our time in the Hammer museum, our group was fascinated by the Ulysses Jenkins’ Without Your Interpretation piece. This stood out to us because of its relevant and provocative content. Through his art, Jenkins conveys that historical events, regardless of how far in the past they were, still affect our social and political landscape today. Most importantly, we reflected how both history and culture can be blurred in the media depending on who gets to tell stories about the BIPOC communities.
A common theme that we saw in the exhibits that we visited during our time at the Hammer Museum was change. Ho Tzu Nyen portrayed people in the Korean Peninsula protesting for change. They used ominous ambiance to portray the violence and dark times that the people of this region underwent. Additionally, we saw police brutality portrayed in the short film, especially through the tactic of silencing protestors through violence. We can relate this to modern times, more specifically the summer of 2020. During the summer of 2020, we saw thousands of people protest against police brutality. Furthermore, during these protests we noticed that there has been very little change in how law enforcement responds to protests. Overall, we would recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to visit The Hammer Museum do so.
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AuthorThe following posts will be from your fellow Hermanas. Archives
March 2024
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