Participating in activities builds character

By Ryan Bulatao

Imagine yourself at a tryout for a competitive basketball team.
You are standing in line waiting to perform the drills that the
coach will use to determine which players make the team and which
go home. The next drill is jump shots. You think, “Piece of
cake, I never miss my jumpers.” You go through the drill only
missing one out of ten shots. You think that you are in the
driver’s seat and that you’ve got a spot on the team
for sure.

But the next couple of drills prove you wrong. The dribbling
drill finds you bouncing the ball off your foot, and you prove
yourself to be a sub- par defender as well. In the end, you find
out that you failed to impress the coach and that you have not made
yourself an attractive basketball player. Ultimately, you do not
make the team.

What happened? You’ve got a good jump shot. That’s
the point ““ that was all you had to offer.

This example serves to show that we cannot be one-dimensional;
moreover, what makes an individual stick out from the crowd is his
or her well-roundedness. We as students are fully aware of this.
Before we even started our careers here at UCLA, we were out there
in our high schools participating in numerous activities. Why did
we do that? One reason we participated in many activities in high
school was because of our various interests. Still, we also knew
that universities liked to admit students who did more than just
study. High school counselors repeatedly said that the admissions
boards are very much attracted to students who are
well-rounded.

Well, here we are at UCLA, one of the most renowned universities
in the nation, if not the world. The admissions board has picked us
out of more than 30,000 applicants each year because it feels that
we are some of the most well-rounded and intelligent students
around. Yet, we must not lose sight of the mindset that we had in
high school.

Accordingly, we should continue to actively pursue involvement.
While before we were preparing for college admissions, we are now
preparing for the real world. I’m not saying that UCLA is not
the real world, but we are preparing ourselves for the different
challenges that will face us as we enter the realm of business,
law, teaching, medicine or graduate education. Again, we are
building ourselves to be well-rounded individuals who show
competence in matters outside of school.

We have to realize that the community at UCLA is much larger
than our high schools. The number of cultures and people here are
more expansive and even more diverse. Ultimately, university life
is about students getting involved so that we can not only make
ourselves more diverse and well-rounded people, but also so we can
foster personal growth and student empowerment.

There are numerous organizations at UCLA in which a student can
get himself or herself involved. Some of these organizations center
around the various cultures that are present on campus. Many of
these ethnic-oriented student groups put on programs that teach the
UCLA community about their cultures. They provide a different kind
of education that students cannot necessarily get by sitting in a
classroom with someone lecturing for an hour or two. Student
organizations also sponsor performances, which any student can be a
part of, so that participants can physically take part in a
representation of that culture through dance, song or drama.

Besides the culturally-centered organizations, there are also
groups of students that form based on common interests. Some
students congregate based on their common religious beliefs. These
organizations meet to discuss matters of religion. They put on
programs that serve as ways to educate the student body about what
they believe and what issues are important to them. In some cases,
these religiously focused organizations have formed a culture and
lifestyle as well.

In addition to that, there are groups that come together based
on an interest in community service. There are students who go to
the surrounding communities to engage in service projects, such as
feeding the homeless and being mentors for young children. These
volunteering organizations also extend their services directly to
the UCLA community. There are retention programs in which students
help other students keep up with their classes.

In addition to the student-run groups, there are establishments
here on campus where students can work while providing a service to
others. Such places include the John Wooden Center’s
intramural department. This is a great opportunity for students
with an interest in athletics to get involved by helping others
participate in recreational activities. In addition to this, the
Associated Students of UCLA offers numerous positions that can give
students work experience. This experience can prove to be an asset
later on when they are applying for future occupations.

All of these different organizations represent only a handful of
what is actually out there. It is our duty as students to go out
there and get involved. By getting involved with an organization,
we add another aspect to the university experience that not
everyone can say they have taken part in. Organizations provide a
space for students to improve and develop their leadership
capabilities. You learn to organize events, raise money and take on
responsibility.

Moreover, involvement increases your cooperative working skills
that will be a priceless quality for your post-graduation life.
Looking at the effects of student involvement, we not only become
well-rounded individuals, but we also add to the development of a
strong voice at UCLA ““ namely the voice of students.