Where Everyone Knows Your Name...

Yesterday night I wasn't sure if I was in Westwood or Washington, DC. Alex and I went to the Ugly Mug, a bar where all the UCLA alums hang out to watch the football and basketball games. I was expecting to meet up with my roommate and our squatter David, and some of the Bruin Dems that I know who moved out to Washington. Much to my surprise, I knew dozens of people there. There were people I knew pretty well from my classes, people from SAA, other Bruin Dems I didn't know were out in DC, and even the ASB president when I was a freshmen in high school who also went to UCLA. It was funny because it seemed like I knew almost everyone who came in and I swore to the people at my table that this doesn't even happen to me when I go to local UCLA places like BrewCo.

Although it was sad that we lost the game yesterday, it was better losing whilst in good company. I think that this just proves wrong a lot of the negatives that people have about UCLA. We get a lot of flak for being a large impersonal school, not having a good alumni network, and not having any spirit. But anyone who was there last night could see that there are people who still feel very connected with their school after they graduate, who will come together and bond because we are Bruins.

Perhaps our alumni network isn't in your face like some other schools, but it's there. If you look, you can find sports gatherings all the way across the country. You can find great business networking events. You can find dedicated alumni packing the Rosebowl and Pauley Pavillion every game. You can find people who will provide you with connections because of the school (it's how I got my 2 internships during college, including the one on Capitol Hill one). And I don't mind if I have to go look for it, because it's a reflection of how life really is. You have to go out and seek opportunities and one of the many things I loved about UCLA is that it taught me to be pro-active.

After family/friends and weather, I listed going to and tailgating at UCLA as one of the top things I missed about California. I'm grateful though that I have a fun bar and lots of displaced and political junkie Bruins that I've either known for years or just met to keep me company though. You know where to find me on game days now.