My second year at
UCLA has been so rewarding thus far. I began this year with so much more
confidence and so much motivation to improve myself. Last year I secured a
position working at the College Library Instructional Computing Commons, or
CLICC, where I've had the opportunity to meet new people, make connections with
important library officials, earn money and study a lot. I feel so blessed to
have a job that not only pays well but allows me to study when it's not so
busy. I hear stories from people about their other jobs around campus and I
have to say that my job is one of the best around and I just received an email
yesterday that I've been promoted!
On top of working all
quarter, I also received the Secretary position for UNICEF at UCLA. It's been
truly rewarding volunteering my time to raise money for one of the best
humanitarian organizations in UNICEF, playing with and teaching children who
live in an alternative transitional homeless shelter and organizing awareness
events around campus.
I've also secured an
internship for next quarter at Viacom Media Networks/MTV Networks International
in Santa Monica working in the media library. Although I have no particular
interest in the entertainment industry, I also have no idea what I want to do
in the future. Hopefully this will serve as a great experience for me to see
what different kinds of careers are out there and if I can see myself working
them.
Double-majoring in
International Development Studies and Economics allows me to take a wide-range
of classes. This past quarter I took Spanish, Gender Studies and
Microeconomics. Although Spanish language courses are technically taught by
TAs, my TA this quarter was an older native Quechuan women from Ecuador who is
incredibly educated and lectures all over the Americas. She was an incredible
teacher to have because she was so dedicated to student learning. Although I am
an Economics major, the subject material is generally more difficult for me to
grasp, so I didn't do so well this quarter in my Microeconomics course. Instead
of having midterms like other courses, my professor had three quizzes and a
final. Calling it a 'quiz' instead of an exam didn't help my study habits and
so I passed the course with a C. I know to take each bit of work more seriously
in the future because although the material may be difficult, I am completely
capable of working harder to receive a better grade. Lastly, my Gender Studies
course served as a nice break from all the graphs in economics. While I didn't
enjoy lecture very much, I did feel very enthusiastic about my section
discussion sessions because we got to really engage with our peers about the
readings for each week. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for all I've learned this
quarter, but I'm also grateful for being done!
Words of advice:
- Get involved, but stay organized! It's important to remember that everything deserves your time and if you neglect one thing for another, you're not being fair.
- Enjoy people! They will keep you sane. I can't say how many times weird remarks from my roommates or freestyles from my friends have lifted my mood and given me energy to keep on working!
- Don't wait for midterms or finals to study! Use all the time you have to continually learn and review material. It's a drag, but it helps.
- Look into campus resources like free printing, writing help or tutors. Your tuition dollars go toward these programs, so let them help you!
Hope this has been
helpful for all of you! Have a very Happy Holiday Season!
Go Bruins!
Michelle Saechao
UCLA Class of 2014
2010 ILC Alumna
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