HaU BLOG Posts
When I left San Diego I was extremely scared, I was moving to a brand new place without knowing anyone. My whole life I had been surrounded by my family and I was the first to leave home and although to some people a 2+ hour ride doesn't seem very far, it was to me. I was also extremely nervous because since I didn’t know anyone I was going to get random roommates, but I got blessed with 2 amazing roommates who I now consider family. Jocelyn and Cynthia thank you for making me feel like I belonged and for all the memories, I love you two. During orientation, when signing up for classes I decided to enroll in Chicano 10A because I never had the opportunity to learn about my people in an academic setting before. Not only was this an amazing class where I learned so much, but it was where I met my best friend. I would never have imagined that the girl who’s contact name in my phone was “Itzel Jimenez (UCLA Chic Stud)” would be such a big part of my life. Itzel, I will never be able to express enough to you how much you mean to me and I’m sorry I’m leaving early but I can’t wait to come next year and see you cross that stage. After meeting these three amazing people I thought I had my community but I was lucky enough to meet another amazing group of people through my job, one very important person was Noemi who I am now lucky enough to call my big. Noemi introduced me to HaU and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. Noemi, without you I would not be the person I am, thank you for encouraging me to do things when I didn’t think I was capable. In my time at HaU I have been blessed with the best twins. Michelle and Nat I hope y’all know how much you mean to me and I will be here for y’all no matter what. To my new twins Silvia, Gloria and Diana though I haven’t know y’all for long we are still familia and I can’t wait to continue to get to know y’all better. This year I got littles of my own and they have been such a big blessing. Alicia, Ashley, Denise, Noel and Salma you all have a very special place in my heart and I am so proud to be your big. You are all amazing and I know you are all going to accomplish amazing things, I love you all. Evelyn, I know you always want to go hooomeee but I won’t forget the nights you decided to go out with us. Jammi thank you for always being down to study with me and listen to the latest bangers. I also want to give a huge thank you to all of mis amigas, you all know who you are. My time at UCLA would not be the same if it weren’t for all of the memories I’ve made with y’all. Though my time here was short, I know the friendships I made will last a lifetime. I love you all and I can’t wait to come back and see all the amazing things you all accomplish.
Con mucho amor, Vanessa
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For my last alumni event of the year I wanted to have something casual since the last two events were a Platica and Career Day. It was also my first joint event with HU de UCLA, an organization I wanted to collaborate with since the beginning of the academic year. It was nice to receive help from my intern and shadowers as well as HUs Alumni Liaison, Abner and his interns. The actual teams for the event ended up being mixed with alumni and undergrads since there was more undergrads than alumni playing. It turned out to be a fun match even though my team lost (only 2-1 tho). We ate lunch after and then had a platica with all alumni present (both from HaU and HU) and the undergrads. We went around and introduced ourselves stating name and current year or graduating year for alumni. We all shared what was the best thing(s) we have gotten out of joining HaU/HU. It was nice to see everyone's different experiences, especially the hermanos since we usually don’t have these types of platicas with (which we should thoo). Some hermanos even got sentimental so that was something new to see! Overall, a fun Sunday filled with laughter, food and hermandad.
Being a part of steering has been such a wonderful experience! Steering retreat was one of my favorite events especially the one in Spring (you know, the one where Vanessa received her name “Lil Toe Condom”). I got to reflect on the year and my progress as a steering member. It’s such a beautiful feeling to know that even though we may have been a little stressed with school, work, promoting, making sure we had everything ready for an HaU event, etc. We still did it. We made it happen and I’m blessed to have been a part of a strong team.
Having retreat gave us time to bond and get to know each other. The times I interacted with a steering member it was mainly about business. Don’t get me wrong, our adventures while on steering were quite the extraordinary way to get to know someone. For instance, being a part of steering gave me the opportunity to meet an amazing YouTuber, Andrea, who always made me feel comfortable around her, laughed with me at random things, and gave me life changing makeup advice. Had it not been for the long commutes we made to promote our events, I wouldn’t have learned about Mady (aka the one who coined Litty McGuire), her family, and about her passion for dance..and Maluma. Sofia. Oh my goodness, I could have been having the worst day but Sofia’s happiness, laughter, and kind words never failed to change my mood and instill confidence in me. More people need to meet her, she's awesome. And whether I needed someone to record me drifting the go-kart at Mulligans, have a lunch date with, or stay in and watch a movie, Eleven was there. Gaby. I don’t know if it was the fact that adding me to her car would give her access to the carpool lane (lol jk), but I appreciate the rides back to LA. I always feel so free-spirited and chill when I’m around her. Noemi, not only is she awesome for being a part of Apt. 111 but also being a part of the great duo of advisors made me happy. I learned about her passion for school counseling and I can’t think of anything else that suites her better. Odalys, she is such a little weirdo, I love it. I enjoy every conversation I have with her and I love that she introduced our theme song "Scooby Doo Pa Pa". I'm going to miss her crazy USC stories. Isa, she's provided me with a new way of viewing things. I talked to her about my insecurities and how I often doubted myself and had a low self-esteem. I appreciate the advice she gave me and being able to feel as comfortable as I did talking about those things with her. With Vanessa, it’s as if our feelings were synced. I appreciate her messages when she sensed I was having a tough week. We made many memories creating those promo videos, jamming to Cardi, and getting our nails done together. We even came out on TV together! Collaborating with Eli for our socials was a memorable experience. Her unconditional support meant so much to me. Going to miss how formal she starts to speak when she feels herself getting emotional. Had it not been for Michelle's contributions, I wouldn't have had the beautiful experience at RAZA weekend. It warms my heart to know that she successfully welcomed the Latinx community. I respect her work and I know she will only continue to grow from here. Evelyn is one of the kindest people I have come across. I will always remember a particular night we studied together with other Hermanas. I remember feeling overwhelmed, at the verge of crying, but I didn't tell anybody. I wanted to go home so no one would notice how stressed I was, but instead I went to Evelyn's apartment. Being there made me want to cry even more (lol, for a good reason) because her kindness made me stop for a second and think about the good in my life and how blessed I was to be around her at the right moment. Ms. G, thank you for all the study dates, Sam Smith jam sessions, advice on adopting dogs, and for ordering pizza with me ...and sneaking it into YRL. Can’t wait to be emailing each other lesson plans and other teacher stuff. I appreciate the moments I spent with all of you! It was truly a time to overcome challenges and grow throughout the process. I’m excited to see the new steering and what great contributions they will make to the organization. Love, Jammilex I can’t believe I’m writing my last blog post as an undergrad. It’s a bittersweet feeling to know that I’ll be graduating in 5 weeks! The things I’m going to miss the most about undergrad is being able to wear workout gear 24/7, living with my friends and being able to walk to each other’s apartments in less than five minutes, and more than anything, my Hermanas. This beautiful organization made my undergraduate career an experience that I will never forget, this org has brought me so much happiness that no money could ever buy. Being in an institution that wasn’t made for people of color is hard to navigate, but HaU made the process of keeping up with this institution so much easier. I have made some of my life-long friends here, and even though our UCLA chapter is coming to an end I know this is just the beginning of another memorable chapter. To all my Hermanas who still have some time here, enjoy it, because this is the easiest it will ever be. To have amazing mujeres surround you is such a privilege to have. Undergrad is stressful, overwhelming, and hectic, but I promise it will all be worth it, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Take advantage of the opportunities that HaU, and UCLA has to offer, you won’t regret it. Please feel free to reach out to me if you ladies need anything. Thanks HaU for being my family away from home, I wouldn’t be here without y’all <3 -Madeline
Being surrounded by so many powerful, beautiful, and intelligent Hermanas who are all pursuing the same thing you are makes the environment so clean and filled with love<3 HaU Spring Retreat was such an impacting and fun experience, pictures can do no justice, but they can definitely remind us of a great time. Personally, after being under so much stress and always having school on my mind, it was beautiful to get out of UCLA for a bit and have that self care I needed. Thank you to all those who made spring retreat an unforgettable experience; definitely my highlight of Spring Quarter. Spending some quality time (not school related) with the seniors who will be leaving made me so happy, yet sad too, but overall happy because they’ve worked so hard to get to that point . I will miss you all so much! Thank you all for being the older sisters I never had and to my Big for always making my heart warm and helping me with everything<3 I will forever cherish you all..
Much love, Odalys B We don’t talk enough about experiences with change and transformation. I think we often forget that (re)birth is a messy experience. Most of us only see the aftermath: the pretty, bundled up result of the pain, the sweat, the tears, the blood. We aren’t always privy to the struggle. Or maybe we focus too much on the pain--the pain of healing, the pain of growth--that we avoid it like flyers on Bruin Walk. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that our journeys will often look like winding paths that take twists and turns we could have never foreseen. Dips through the darkest valleys and triumphs at the tallest peaks. Detours and shortcuts and circles. We need to remind ourselves that healing isn’t a location but rather something that is always in progress. That it doesn’t always look the same for everyone. Healing, rebirth, and transformation, means making a space for our pain, our wounds, and allowing it to remind us that we are not the only ones who are suffering these growing pains. We have to remember that self love isn’t just face masks and escapism. It involves us being emotionally transparent with ourselves and understanding the work that has to be done to move forward, to change, and just how difficult, but necessary, that change may be. I look to El Quinto Sol, the bud of our quinto blossom, and am reminded of the movement, change, and renewal that it represents. I am reminded that I am not alone in my movement and work towards empowerment, unity, and personal growth. That I have a familia full of quinto blossoms, all on different paths, but united in our love and tenderness for one another. Together we are a garden of multicolored flowers, slowly blooming and scintillating in light of El Quinto Sol. I am forever grateful for the space that Hermanas has provided me. The platicas that allowed me to peel the layers of myself back and confront the woundedness, that allowed me to see that we all carry around our hurt, that allowed me to take a step forward. The gatherings that strengthened my sense of hermandad, that proved to me that there were people in my corner, rooting for me. I am and will be forever grateful for the love and community that radiates through physical and emotional spaces we create and share. Thank you for the reminders, for without them I would be lost.
Las quiero muchisimo. -Melissa I have always been surrounded by people who I can relate to. I live on the Chicanx Floor and I am a member of Hermanas Unidas, so I feel like I never really left mi gente. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I attended a Career Engagement Program (CEP) that I felt out of place here at UCLA. CEP is a program designed for first year/first generation students that exposes them to career opportunities and how to pursue them. During our first meeting, I walked into the room expecting to find students of color like myself, but instead I was surprised to see a room full of White and Asian students. I sat at a table and began the ice-breaker activity which was to share our parent’s careers. Starting with the person to my right, he shared that his dad was an engineer and his mom worked in marketing. The next person shared that her mom worked as an editor for CNN. The girl next to her shared that her dad was a doctor. I was the last person to share, and I felt my face burn up as I said: my dad is an electrician and my mom cleans hotels. They all shared the same look of sympathy on their face and gave me reassuring nods. For the rest of the meeting, I felt that they spoke to me differently. This experience felt like a punch in the gut, yet it helped me realize that us students of color need to place ourselves in these uncomfortable situations, especially with people you cannot relate to.
-Karina |
AuthorThe following posts will be from your fellow Hermanas. Archives
March 2023
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