ABOUT Stephanie
University of California, Los Angeles, Junior
I love my college because…
I feel like I belong here. It’s difficult to explain. When I was touring schools none of them felt like I was supposed to be there. They just didn’t feel right for some reason. It wasn’t until I got to UCLA that I finally like I belonged there. There was this moment when my mom and I looked at each other and we both said, “This is it.” I didn’t even care about UCLA’s reputation or athletics, I’m just the type of person that listens to their gut and my gut was telling me that UCLA had something that no other school could provide for me.
I really hate when…
people insinuate that I got accepted to good schools because I’m a minority and person of color.
I major in…
Psychology. The reason I chose this is because I believe my gift is empathy. Life has thrown so many obstacles at me and I’ve used those experiences to grow into a stronger woman instead of letting those experiences defeat me. It’s caused me to have empathy for others and psychology is a field where I can use my empathy to help people jump hurdles that life throws at them. My minor, on the other, hand is Film and the reason I chose that is because it’s my creative outlet where I can really express myself.
My hometown is awesome because…
it’s not a nice neighborhood. It’s got a lot of character to it and most people there are struggling to make ends meet but it’s caused me to be humble and grateful for any blessing that comes my way. It’s also taught me street lessons that school could never teach me. That’s what I love about my hometown, the rawness of it.
At school, you can find me…
in a sorority called Delta Delta Delta, and a Christian organization called CRU. I also work for a student extension of UCPD called CSO which stands for Community Service Officer. And lastly, I volunteer with research at the Bjork Learning Lab.
The coolest class I’ve taken so far is…
my Chicano 10B class because it helped me develop and love my ethnic identity.
My ideal first date would be…
just a guy brining me sunflowers and then taking me out for chicken strips and fries.
If I had 24 hours left to live, I would…
spend them with the people I love. I wouldn’t care what I did in those last 24 hours as long as it was spent surrounded by friends and family.
If I could change one thing about the world, it would be…
ignorance. It’s the root of a lot of conflict and racism.
If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, I would say…
“You do you boo.”
I’m going to be Miss COED 2017 because…
I’m a strong, independent woman.
