HaU BLOG Posts
I wanted to share this book; "Healing Through Words" by Rupi Kaur with my hermanas. It is more like a journal. For those who might have written in their new year's resolutions to journal more or touch in more with your feelings, this might be the journal book for you! This journaling book touches very deeply on those who read feelings, it is very personal. It has 4 chapters being "Chapter one: Hurting", "Chapter two: Loving", "Chapter three: Breaking", and "Chapter four: Healing", as well as an introduction and conclusion. This book is not only about relationships, but it is also personal and you can talk about anything. The book by Rupi Kaur has her personal experience, but throughout the pages, as you read the struggles she went through to find herself you get to open up and write about how you feel. In the first chapter; Hurting there's a prompt that asks you to sit in silence and write about "What trauma looks like to you". The book isn't just about writing consistently, there is also a lot of meditation and reflection on there's no right way to journal since everyone has a different personal experience of what has broke, heal, loved, and hurt them. I really recommend this book to you guys, the ones who are open to writing and reflecting on stuff that they keep hidden. This is for those who like to keep their thoughts personal, this journaling book by Kaur helps heal and realize that those attributes of our life should not bring us down and define us as any less but give us the motivation to learn how strong, amazing, talented, beautiful individuals we are. We all have a beautiful story to tell.
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Hey you,
Guess what? You are almost at the end of winter quarter. It seemed like just yesterday you were moving in right? After this, you will just need spring quarter and then that’s it. You will be done with your first year of university. Crazy huh? This year has been tough for you and has challenged you both mentally and emotionally. You’ve been through a lot yet here you are. I’m so proud of you! And I know that inner child in you is proud too. This is a written reminder to you that you belong here. You have made the effort to be here. You took the chance to apply to your dream school. You got in! And, now you are here! Yes, it has been a hard transition, but remember that it’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, then everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great. You are doing the best you can with what you have and that’s all you can do. Remind yourself of what you have been able to overcome. All the times you felt like you weren’t going to make it through, you proved yourself wrong. You are more capable than you think you are. Continue to live life in the present, embracing every moment and experience you have. And, every once in a while, take a moment to acknowledge and recognize yourself for all of your hard work and accomplishments, even the little ones. You deserve the love. You are doing amazing and I hope you keep reminding yourself of that. Finish this year strong. You got this! love, wendy ︎︎︎♡ If you participated in our latest fundraiser, all of our items were bought locally. The vendors were really understanding and supportive, they were willing to sell their product at a lower price to help us raise funds for our organization. This is a friendly reminder to shop locally when you get the opportunity! As we chase our dreams here at UCLA, they chase theirs in the real world and need all the support they can get.
Heyyy hermanes! This blog post is for all of you who are interested in reading, or trying to get into reading! If that's you, I highly recommend you read "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time, because it's just so good. It's basically about the experience of growing up as a person of color in the U.S. It's not your average book though. Oh and by the way, for my hermanes who have already read this book, let's talk about it together please omg. Okay anyways, rather than being written in chapters, it's actually basically a little collection of a bunch of short stories, but each one is super impactful and the entire book is written in a way that's super easy to understand, so the messages it's saying easy to grasp, and they're still just so powerful. I feel like I could relate to it a lot and I just think it's an essential read for any Latina who grew up in not the best parts of a big city in the U.S., cuz it takes place in Chicago but I grew up here in South LA and I felt a lot of parallels. Even if y'all get the book and just end up reading only one of these short stories, I'll be happy because I know you'll get something from it. It's not that long though guys, it's only like 100 pages or something, I promise it's worth the read. I've actually read it like 3 times, and every time it gets me. It's lowkey emotional but I'm not gonna spoil it cuz I want you guys to find out why for yourselves!! But it really touches the soul cause it talks a lot about the Latina experience lol. Personally, I haven't read a lot of books like this and so this one I feel is super special in that way. Anyways, so yea if you're looking for a new book to read, I promise you guys this one will change your life fr, and if you do decide to read it come to talk me about it at GB meeting or something! Thank you for reading my lil tangent lol hasta luegoo <333.
I want to manifest a year for me. I'm going to use this collage as my reminder this year to make sure I make time for myself no matter the circumstance, I am choosing to put myself first. 2023 is going to be a year of self-love <3
These past few months have been one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding of my life. This quarter I've had the opportunity to grow in so many ways, meet people and do things I never would have imagined. From presenting my research to professionals in the field I'm working in, meeting scientists from across the country, performing in front of hundreds of people for the first time, getting to attend movie premiers and meet celebrities and getting to step into a new role in HaU - every experience has helped me evolve in some way, shape or form. A year ago just the though of doing some of these things scared me, but in the moment it helped me realize that I'm capable of the way more than I imagined. Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be intimidating, but in the grand scheme of things, it can lead to some of the best experiences of your life.
Hermanas Unidas de UCLA has allowed me to surround myself with so many amazing people who inspire me and make me feel welcomed in a space not made for Latinx students. I dedicate this collage to all of the beautiful people who I have been able to create memories with <3 Thank you for an amazing quarter !!
Heyy!!
Over the summer, I delved into reading again and wanted to share some of my favorites or ones I am interested in reading. I am not, by any means, a book connoisseur, just a book enthusiast :)! I am currently reading Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson and Yerba Buena: A Novel by Nina LaCour. In brief, Open Water is about a young black couple, a photographer and a dancer, and is situated in London. It essentially goes through their initial interaction, and we witness them navigating external forces that strain their relationship and make establishing themselves as artists difficult. I know the plot may seem overdone, but the way this book is written is genuinely unlike anything. There is lots of imagery and poetic language. I highly encourage you to read it! Yerba Buena: A Novel follows Emile and Sara as they mature and come to terms with some of their past trauma, and it's also a latinx queer love story!! I have barely read the tip of this iceberg and can't wait for it to take me on a new adventure. I was initially excited to read this because of its representation of the queer latinx experience and themes of maturity, forgiveness, love, and so much more!! Side note: The book deals with some heavy topics, so if you read it, as with any book, make sure you read the triggers. Reading is lovely, but I want to acknowledge that some things may resonate with us, and we may have reactions we didn't anticipate. That is valid! Acknowledge when reading something that may become too much and step aside. Books on my list: Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami Beautiful World, Where are you?- Sally Rooney Ordinary People - Sally Rooney The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller If you have any book recommendations, I would be happy to hear them! <3 College can often feel very stressful; with the quarter system everything feels hectic and overwhelming. It's hard for me to remember a time when college didn't feel stressful. As academic chair, my goals is to support y'all in all of your academic endeavors, and provide you with the proper tools needed to succeed and flourish at UCLA. For me, nothing is more important in my academics than being prepared and organized. I wanted to share with y'all my favorite way to plan and organize my academic, work and personal life--Notion! If y'all have been to my academic events before, you've probably heard the word "Notion" come out of my mouth; I give them a lot of free promotion (like seriously they should sponsor me or something :P). In short, Notion is a free online productivity tool that you can use to manage your schooling, your professional development, habits that you want to keep track of, your favorite books/movies...literally everything and anything you can think of! The freedom you have with Notion to create whatever pages you'd like is exciting, but it can also feel nerve wracking if you just started out on the platform. I know that's how I felt when I first opened the website and stared at the blank page facing me. But if you'd like some inspiration on how I personally organize my notion, keep reading! I basically have my notion divided into five different subpages: home, dream life, index, career and academia. I use the home page as a way to organize my personal life, including my monthly and yearly goal planning, recording habits I'd like to keep track of (drinking water, exercising etc), my personal finances, and my daily to-do list. I also like to document things like how many books I've read, what movies or tv shows I've watched recently, just for fun ;) My dream life page is the space where I brainstorm all of my goals and aspirations in life. I answer questions like, what do I need in my life to be fulfilled, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually? This page is all about manifesting what you want out of life. My index page basically serves the purpose of one of those accordion folder things where you put all of your random pieces of paper and sometimes school work (if your professors actually give out paper assignments still). This is where I jot down random notes, write down recipes I'd like to try, and other miscellaneous things. I use my career page as a way to document my professional development and career journey. I haven't used this page too much to be honest, but I plan to use this page to organize my resume and keep track of mentors and other professionals I'd like to network with. Lastly, I have my academia page, which serves as the hub for all things UCLA related. Here I organize my syllabi for each of my classes, record all of the due dates for assignments, and plan what classes I'm going to take next quarter and in the upcoming year. I also manage all of the tasks I need to complete for the various extracurricular activities I'm involved in, like hermanas unidas :) I hope you found my little notion tour helpful! Even if notion's not the productivity tool for you, I encourage you to find some platform that you can use for productivity and organization, whether that's google calendar, a traditional planner, or simply writing down your to-do list on the notes app. Use whatever fits your personal lifestyle and preferences the most. If you'd like to look more into notion, I'd recommend looking at the following videos on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YdCg7eSmYmI and https://youtu.be/9ZeF7njSQ3s. Thanks for reading!
In "Everything I Know About Love", Dolly Alderton describes platonic love as "a quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily forget is there, even though it's palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall". She shows the beauty of feminine friendships, and emphasizes that in a world that is so focused on attaining romantic love, people seem to forget that one of the strongest yet quietest loves you can feel is platonic. Love is when Julie lets me tell her the same story despite hearing it a million times because I forget I've already told her it. Love is when Letzi let's me have the last of her oat milk because I haven't had time to go on a grocery run. Love is when Brenda offers me her incredible advice (the wisest woman I know), or when Alma sends me restaurant suggestions and insists we have to try it together. Love is the tiniest and simplest gestures that are always overlooked. So the next time your friend sends you a tiktok or tweet and says, "you" or offers you their last fry, remember that love is behind every gesture. Love is everywhere and I'm so blessed to have it so abundant in my life.
It's bittersweet entering my last year here at UCLA. I never knew what the feeling would be like because I have waited for this day since my first day of classes. Hardships are inevitable, but it's what you learn from them that really shape you. I want to manifest a year full of growth, learning, challenges, and triumphs. I want to allow myself to become the best version I can be and remind myself to enjoy the process. If any of you ever need encouragement throughout the year, don't hesitate to reach out. Most importantly know that whatever is holding you down will only be temporary, but it is ALWAYS brighter on the other side. Cheers to a great year my wonderful Hermanas! I wish that for each and every one of us <3
Hello bbs ♡ I wanted to create an infographic on one of my current passions, working out ! I wanted to share some tips and tricks on how you can start your fitness journey beause I know it can be difficult and intimidating at first. Please keep in mind that this guide is very limited and I have alot more I can say about this topic haha! So please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. You can also reach out to me if you would like a gym buddy, a fire playlist, or help with creating your split! I do not know everything and I am definetly learning as I continue on my journey! But I love sharing what I do know so that other people know that they are not alone! Con Mucho Amor, Brit
I definitely think this quarter was one of my most eventful and happiest yet. Hanging out with my friends whether it be studying, eating, going out- they carried this quarter for me. I bought a projector Fall quarter thinking I’d be using it so often- I only used it no more than 5 times. Until… recently, where it’s been my friends and I’s favorite thing. One of my most memorable events this quarter was when my friends and I had our first movie night. It made us reminisce on all our history together, especially this time of year. In the spacious double dorm we brought in two mattresses on the floor, set up the projector and laughed the whole night. It’s moments like these that make me so appreciative of life and my friends- and I can't wait to make so much more memories this coming school year.
Y supongo que aún estoy aprendiendo que mi felicidad va primero - Danny Ocean (Julie Quintero)5/15/2022 Every year comes with new challenges and obstacles. While the past few weeks have brought tears and sadness like I've never felt before, I'm learning to enjoy and live in my present. Focusing on what brings me happiness and being grateful for what I have: a supportive family and wonderful friends who constantly surround me with joy and love. I'm learning to be comfortable in my own skin and focus on my relationship with myself, learning to love my own company whether that be on small boba dates or cooking a new recipe for dinner. Self-love is a constant growth process but as long as I have my friends, family, and hermanas to support me, todo lo puedo <3
Okay, my title is a little misleading because I want to share with you all a little bit about just one of the things that makes me happy: acting. As a kid, I knew that I wanted to be an actress but at the time I thought of it more as being a movie-star. To me, it was so cool that people just became characters and were party of an amazing story and because of that story they were famous. As I grew older, I continued to wish for any opportunity to act. I didn’t get any. I would search online for agencies but everything cost money that my family and I didn’t have. In high school, I had to choose between going to a high school that focused on going to college and a high school that focused on the arts. Because I was unsure about my future, I chose the high school that emphasized attending college. After having no opportunities in high school I tried to join some clubs at UCLA to finally practice my dream of acting, but the pandemic cut that short and I wasn’t able to join the organization that I had long waited for: the Latinx Film & Theater Association. Now that I’m in my third-year I’ve finally joined this amazing org and have discovered everything that goes into film and theater production. This org was revived by me and all the other members who joined this year, saving it from being less than 10 people in the org. We have learned so much together, made many amazing memories, and created art that showcases our values and everything that we love: bringing a story to life trying to center Latine students into spaces in which they have long been excluded and/or misrepresented from. I hope to participate more as an actress next year for LFTA, as this year I had a lot of commitments that interrupted me from doing what makes me happy, but just knowing I have this space is keeping me excited and working hard. I can’t wait to see the amazing things LFTA does next year, and I can’t wait to be a part of it. <3
Dear Maura, Something is in the air this spring, you have finally found your momentum. Your college experience has not been traditional, but nevertheless, you’ve embraced this journey. You have entered a new stage of independence and exploration. It is important to make the most of every experience. It is important to be present and embody every experience that passes by. This is a written reminder that times get tough, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Even when you are down bad, remember all of the friends and family you have rooting for you. Remember that you’re living your inner child’s dream. You made the effort to be here, and you belong here. You have grown, learned, and experienced. I wish for you to continue this path and take every opportunity that presents itself. That is what has gotten you this far remember? You took a chance to apply to UCLA, you took a chance and landed your current job, you took a chance and joined Hermanas and met your best friends. Stay hopeful and patient and your path will align itself. Not everything will resolve itself tomorrow, but eventually when the time comes everything will fall into place. For now, take a moment to recognize yourself for all your accomplishments this quarter. You are on your way to becoming your ideal version of yourself. This year you complete 2/4 years of your bachelor's degree. There is so much to celebrate, don’t focus on things that could have been better. View the cup as half full and not half empty. You’re doing amazing sweetie, stay on this path.
Hermanas Unidas de UCLA has truly been my home away from home. From when I first joined Fall Quarter of my 1st year, I felt so welcomed and accepted. Even in the virtual setting, HaU welcomed me with open arms. The community that HaU provides is like no other and I am so grateful to be able to be part of an org that does so much for the community that helped all of us get to where we are now while also presenting us with so many opportunities to continue succeeding in our future endeavors. I love each and every Hermana that I have met and I look forward to getting to know so many more of you in the future. Thank you HaU for creating a safe space for us and allowing us all to grow into these amazing, strong, and independent women. Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC): Its Impact on Latinx Youth and Families-Vanessa Diaz4/20/2022 I am currently an Elementary School Classroom intern at the Koreatown Youth and Community Center. KYCC is a non-profit organization that caters to marginalized communities who come from low-income, formerly homeless, previously abused, and a great variety of other backgrounds. This organization centers around the academic and personal development of the students enrolled there. For instance, I provide one-on-one homework assistance to the students to ensure that they complete and understand their work. Community centers like this are valuable, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, because they give families and the youth the support that they need. Social isolation and the various barriers that came up during the pandemic led people to utilize the clinical mental health resources, such as therapy, provided at KYCC. My favorite part of KYCC is the sense of community that exists and the opportunity that the students have been given to be in a place that caters to their needs and growth.
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 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 |
AuthorThe following posts will be from your fellow Hermanas. Archives
March 2024
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