This wasn’t how I wanted it to go.
When I came to UCLA in 2018, I packed a plan alongside my high school keepsakes. The plan included boys, a four-year graduation and becoming a girlboss scientist like Dr.

Dear Bruin,
I’m sorry.
For all of the grief that the world has to offer us right now and for all that looms in the months and years ahead, I am terribly sorry.

“‘She Goes by They/Them’” is a recurring series by Payton Kammerer, a nonbinary editor for the Opinion section. In these columns, they will be exploring a variety of queer issues, from those specific to campus life to those concerning broad public discourse.

“‘She Goes by They/Them’” is a recurring series by Payton Kammerer, a nonbinary assistant editor for the Opinion section. In these columns, they will be exploring a variety of queer issues, from those specific to campus life to those concerning broad public discourse.

“‘She Goes by They/Them’” is a regular series by Payton Kammerer, a nonbinary assistant Opinion editor. In these columns, they will be exploring a variety of queer issues, from those specific to campus life to those concerning broad public discourse.

“‘She Goes by They/Them’” is a biweekly series by Payton Kammerer, a nonbinary assistant Opinion editor. In these columns, they will be exploring a variety of queer issues, from those specific to campus life to those concerning broad public discourse.

“’She Goes by They/Them’” is a biweekly series by Payton Kammerer, a nonbinary assistant Opinion editor. In these columns, they will be exploring a variety of queer issues, from those specific to campus life to those concerning broad public discourse.

The first time I felt the impact of UCLA’s diversity was during New Student Orientation.
When things were in person and we could freely get close to strangers, you could feel the social tension between the incoming students – a palpable manifestation of the evergreen desire to find friends clashing with the intimidation of a brand-new environment.

This post was updated May 31 at 6:07 pm.
The pandemic has been a nightmare, but that doesn’t mean UCLA should leave behind the innovations it came with.

As UCLA looks forward, the continuing effects of COVID-19 are certainly a major concern.
But the dangers of returning to campus – and its myriad opportunities for partying after more than a year of social distancing – present another worry.