Submission: _Student body president welcomes new Bruins, urges school involvement_

SUBMITTED BY David Bocarsly

As your student body president, it is my honor to welcome you into the Bruin family. As a UCLA student, you are now part of a long legacy of academic achievement, athletic excellence, exceptional research and continued service. Out of 91,512 applicants, you are the chosen and outstanding few. You deserve to be here and I couldn’t be more excited for you.

UCLA has 108 NCAA championships ““ the most in the nation. We are constantly ranked among the top 25 universities, our research library is in the top 10 nationwide, our hospital is in the top 5 and no other school’s students are quite as attractive.

You’re on your way to joining a family of 393,691 living alumni from a school that includes 11 Nobel Laureates, 12 Rhodes Scholars and 10 National Medal of Science winners. You will walk the same campus as did Ralph Bunche, Jackie Robinson, Jim Morrison and, of course, John Wooden.

As you begin your UCLA journey, I urge you to ask yourself: What kind of legacy do you want to leave here?

My journey began during my orientation campus tour.

We were initiated as Bruins by dipping our hands in the inverted fountain ““ the only time we are supposed to touch its water during our time here. Realizing this was a unique opportunity, I decided to get the full experience ““ fingers weren’t enough ­”“ so I jumped right in.

I carried this lesson with me as I began freshman year. I jumped into a number of different organizations, and found the presidential internship of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, or USAC. Through the internship, I quickly realized that USAC has its hand in every facet of life on campus.

The internship taught me that USAC is at the center of the programming, community service, advocacy, entertainment and academic affairs here on campus. We allocate more than $50,000 to about 1,000 student organizations, pressure our government to prioritize higher education, facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, and plan programs such as Bruin Bash and the JazzReggae Festival.

My goal as president is to guide you through a safe, meaningful and memorable UCLA journey.

And there is no better way to do that than by encouraging you to get involved. Between the hundreds of student organizations, research opportunities, community service projects, work-study programs, sports teams and internships, there are endless opportunities to leave your legacy on campus.

And if you’re interested in dabbling in a wide range of campus life, the presidential internship will give you the tools and avenue to be successful in any of the 13 USAC offices. It’s never too early to make your voice heard and make a difference.

These next four years will go by faster than you can possibly imagine. My advice to you is to dream big, take risks, study hard, have fun and make the most of your time at this incredible school.

I challenge you to take advantage of all UCLA has to offer. Push yourself and try new things as you start your journey as a Bruin. So do what I did: Jump right in.

Go Bruins!

David Bocarsly is the president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council and a fourth-year economics student.

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