Graduation
On Friday June 13th 2008, I achieved one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I graduated from UCLA with a B.A in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and honored with the Chancellor's Service Award. Going to UCLA had been a long yearned for dream, and I still can't believe that it's over, or that it even happened. I learned so much inside and outside the classroom, and was offered opportunities I never thought possible. I'm proud to say that I took these opportunities every chance I got, and therefore have few regrets. As Francesca and I walked to get in line, I experienced a moment where the full meaning of what we were about to do finally sank in and completely overwhelmed me. I had wanted UCLA so badly, worked so hard to come here, worked so hard to adjust to it and to have a meaningful experience...and now my work was finished.
It's hard to believe that just four years ago I was a scared, lonely 18 year old girl who cried herself to sleep her first night in the dorms at UCSB. I was unhappy there, but I found a way to overcome it and make it an incredible experience through CAB, RHA, and bonding with my housemtes. I forget sometimes how much I did there...the benefit concert, the film journal, the various community service projects, the awesome adventures with excursion club...I think that it was good for me to be a big fish in a small pond so I was able to grow into a stronger, bigger fish ready to take on studying abroad and later transferring. My six months in China developed me even more, but it couldn't prepare me for the difficulties of being the new kid in school in the middle of the year on top of coping with reverse culture shock. When I think about last year, and how unhappy I was, and how I felt trapped, like my real self had disappeared, I'm sometimes surprised to remember that that was actually me...and that I ever felt so badly about myself and my life.
And then I remember all the wonderful things and people that turned it all around, that grounded me at UCLA and helped me come to love it as much as I do. Literally every day I walked to school this year (I'm not even exaggerating) I would think to myself "I'm so lucky to be here." I was at my dream school, leader of the multiracial community I had always sought, friends with people from all over the world through the international club, had a great job with cool people doing what I love, learning new things and doing exciting events through Daily Bruin,
was close to the film industry I had always adored, and had amazing friendships (I even managed to do well in school somehow!). I was just really, really happy at UCLA, and I was satisfied in a way that I never really felt at UCSB (although I ended up being really happy there too!)
All these people made a difference in my college life in some way: Lexi, Allison, Sarah, Rachel, Wesley, Jerry, Liam, Katie, Sarah, Brady, Ian, Carlos, Eva, the rest of the cienega house crew, Janine, Kouang, Ryan, Mike, Nancy, Vivian, Darren, Sarah, Hiro, Kirsti, Rachel, Francesca, Dalynna, Dorothy, Ken, Michelle, Noah, Katrina, Danni, Chelsey, Akiko, Sejin, Wendy. If you're reading this, thank you for making my college experience so incredible!
now, for the pictures!!
The gang at Pauley Pavillion for Commencement
such a controversial ceremony! Bill Clinton was supposed to speak but didn't want to cross the labor union's picket lines :-( the student speakers were still good though, and when the usac president mentioned how we're here as a result of our ancestors who left their homecountries for a better life for them and their children and their children's children (us!), some of us started to cry...it's true! both sets of grandparents immigrated here in hopes of the American Dream, and I only got to where I was because of my parents and their parents' sacrifices and hard work.
With James Franco. We talked about comp lit (his major) and paris (he's going there this summer!)
three of my professors at the Anthropology department ceremony the next evening
I love that it was at Kerchoff!
friends and family after my graduation dinner at the Bonaventure at the Westin downtown (the restaurant overlooks all of LA!! beautiful view and yummy food! I even made a speech (after a glass of champagne...)
afterwards, photoshoot at my place! (I had so many flowers we had to do something with them before I moved out the next day!)
my fav haha (it's the cover of noah's bday present to me...a book full of pix of me!!)
I can't believe I found out the couch was a futon the night before I moved out. anyway, we all slept on it til Daniel and I got overheated from all the sexiness :-p
It was a great weekend, and I was so happy to be surrounded by all my friends and family as I celebrated such a special occasion. yay college! :-)