UCLA Samueli School of Engineering students and faculty welcomed hundreds of admitted first-year students to campus Saturday.

More than 20 representatives from engineering departments and clubs shared their experiences with admitted students at a “Discover UCLA Engineering” event in the Court of Sciences. Hundreds of admitted students and their families attended tours, met with faculty and academic advisors and explored booths as part of UCLA’s annual Bruin Day.

Engineering Ambassadors – who represent the Samueli School of Engineering and are involved in new student programming – conducted tours during Bruin Day, said Rhett Selby, a second-year computer science student. Selby added that his own Bruin Day experience inspired him to join the organization.

“I took a tour with Engineering Ambassadors and loved it, and now I’m part of the club,” Selby said.

Representatives from MentorSEAS – a program that matches first-year engineering students with upperclassmen mentors in their major – presented to admitted students, said Kana Park, a third-year bioengineering student. Park said it is important for students to have support in their academic journeys, adding that she is still keeps in contact with her mentors.

“They really inspired me to just continue being a mentor, as well as join the board this year so that I could promote this organization even more,” she said.

Amanda Lo, a second-year chemical engineering student, was excited to advertise her club, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at UCLA, so incoming students can get involved when they get to UCLA.

Bruin Formula Racing, a UCLA club which works to build a functional Formula One-style vehicle every year, tabled at the event, said Kevin Yang, a third-year computer science and engineering student. Yang added that he learned about the club at Bruin Day as an admitted student.

“It’s helped me develop a more multidisciplinary view toward engineering because usually computer science majors don’t touch hardware as much,” Yang said. “But here I’ve interacted with a lot of mechanical engineers, aerospace engineers and electrical engineers, so I’ve gained a much broader understanding of engineering.”

Aditi Karthik, a third-year cognitive science and geography/environmental studies student, said Engineering Welcome Day offered volunteers a unique opportunity to talk to admitted students about the mission of her club, which builds apps and websites for nonprofit organizations. She added that she enjoyed sharing her personal experiences at UCLA to help them make their commitment decisions.

Kate Sutter, an admitted civil engineering student from the Bay Area, said hearing about current students’ time management skills motivated her.

“I can really see myself doing civil engineering now that I’ve come here,” Sutter said.