Personal maturity comes from choosing involvement

Looking back, it seems as if the things you want to change can
lead to your own metamorphosis. As an experimental 18-year-old, I
had developed an enormous lack of respect for this university and
to an extent, college life. Social circles excluded more than they
included, members of an already closed off community were
segregating themselves even further, and most lost sight of the
opportunities that lay beyond their social walls.

Then somewhere, during that infamous “maturing”
third year, I had no choice but to accept that UCLA was going to be
a major part of my life. Suddenly, the distaste I had for the
elitism permeating the campus (not to mention those who just lacked
the courage to greet their peers), grew into concern. Faced with
the choice of focusing on life after college or getting involved
somehow, I found the former to be unacceptable.

Coupled with the fact that a friend had invited me to attend an
orientation meeting for the school newspaper, the stage had been
set for my relationship with the Daily Bruin.

As an intern turned staff turned assistant director for the
electronic media department, I came across a microcosm of campus
life in the office. In theory, the newspaper was responsible for
mirroring UCLA students, UCLA athletes, UCLA politicians, UCLA
creativity, UCLA triumphs, UCLA idiocy, etc. It was the
responsibility of myself and my co-workers to represent this
community to the outside world through the Internet medium. In a
sense, the campus had become mine to throw away or help build.

With the passing of my last full year as an undergrad, my apathy
somehow evolved into attachment. Maybe the frenetic and quirky
atmosphere of a day of production does that to people. A common,
greater goal can shove aside individual agendas and philosophies
for a certain type of person.

Contributing as much as possible to the development of the Web
site was imperative. I now understand that the Daily Bruin deserved
more on the Internet because of all it tries to accomplish. The
people who put the paper together in print and online devote a lot
of their energies, and there are even times when they give too
much.

Currently, I am counting the days until my tenure with the
newspaper is over and (hopefully) soon, I will be leaving school. I
am now an experimental 22-year-old still wanting UCLA to be
different. Oddly enough though, I would like it to be different in
the ways that I have changed into a little older and a little more
patient person. It is apparent now, that it is the individual who
matures and not the campus.