UCLA club helps European students share, learn culture

Lénie Bigtower found herself missing the French culture she grew up in when she arrived at UCLA last fall.

The second-year psychobiology student wanted a group where she could talk about her home, but was having trouble connecting with other European international students.

“I felt a little lost,” Bigtower said.

Last spring, Bigtower, and 11 other European students created an organization called EuroBruins to cultivate European culture on campus. While the group was created with international students in mind, it is open to all students interested in European culture, Bigtower said.

The group is meant to be a place where a small collection of international students can talk about their homes and their lives in other countries with other students who have similar experiences.

Since the club’s membership was low last spring, Bigtower did not organize many events. She said that she and the other club staff are now in the process of programming events for the rest of the year.

The groups leaders hope to hold social events on and off campus and keep members up-to-date with European news during club meetings. They also want to plan traditional country-specific dinners and evening events in Los Angeles.

Bigtower said she hopes the group will help European students navigate the differences between European and American college life. She said she would have appreciated the group when she first moved to L.A. because she did not fully understand the American concept of rushing a sorority or the protocol for dating.

“(There was) no one to guide me with the small things,” Bigtower said.

Another goal of the group is to help its member’s embrace American culture, and hold events like a Thanksgiving dinner when the rest of the student body leaves campus.

Nicolas Van Der Woude, a second-year Chinese student from England, met Bigtower at the beginning of last year through a mutual friend, another European international student.

When Bigtower came to him last spring with the initial idea of creating a European cultural group on campus, he said he was interested in getting involved.

Van Der Woude said that, for him, the ultimate point of the group is to promote European culture.

The group is meant to help foster community within the international student population, he said.

Van Der Woude said he thinks it is helpful for international students to network within the UCLA community and bring those relationships back home. He added that Bigtower stayed with his family in London this past summer.

Carey Kennedy, a third-year neuroscience student, is the only American among the group’s leaders. Kennedy said the experience so far has helped her gain a deeper appreciation of European culture.

Bigtower said she reached out to different groups on campus, including the Dashew Center and tennis and soccer teams, to encourage students to join the club.

Bigtower said EuroBruins currently relies on private sponsorship and donations from friends, family and language departments. The group requested funds from the Undergraduate Students Association Council this summer and is waiting to find out if they will receive funding, Bigtower said.

The club will host its first general meeting next week.