SOLES Board
During my freshmen year at UCLA, I had the opportunity to see the great work that the executive board accomplished and learn about the true mission of the organization. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be a part of seeing this mission carried out.
The people within our organization and their dedication to community outreach.
Ski Trip in the mountains. It is a great way for everyone to get away from school for a weekend and enjoy themselves. Also, the liquid nitrogen workshop at Engineers In Training Day, because the little ones get so excited and amazed about chemistry.
Work in industry after graduation, pursue a masters degree, and of course, attend future SOLES events as an alumni.
I was introduced through SOLES when I came to Freshmen Weekend at the end of my senior year in high school. I stayed with Liz, who told me about all of the different activities and opportunities that SOLES has to offer. All of the members at the time, as well as all of the Freshmen Weekend activities were extremely enjoyable and helped me make my decision to come to UCLA. Ever since then, I was really impressed by what SOLES does, and also it was nice that I felt like I was so included even though I wasn't even a UCLA student yet. All of those things together made me want to come to UCLA, become involved in SOLES, and inspired me to eventually run to be an officer.
My favorite part of SOLES is the family atmosphere that it has. SOLES has plenty of academic and professional development opportunities, but - in the end - it's the sense of having a place to belong that really keeps me coming back to SOLES. I've met so many great people, not only here but also throughout our region, through my involvement in the organization. And as much as I love spending time getting to know our members and just hanging out and having fun with each other, I really like going to conferences where I meet new people from other schools and am able to hang out with them and stay in contact with them after only getting to know them for a few days.
My favorite SOLES event is undeniably Freshmen Weekend. It's my favorite for a few reasons. First, it's the event that introduced me to SOLES and got me involved in the first place. Second, I like getting to meet the incoming freshmen and knowing that we can make a difference in helping them decide to go to UCLA. Plus, the weekend is just so full of such a variety of events that it's always a lot of fun.
My future plans at this point are simply to stay active in SOLES as well as being more active in the other student organizations.
The outreach events. During the two years I’ve been at UCLA I have participated in most of the outreach events organized by SOLES. Be it events on campus or site tutoring, it is always rewarding to give back to the community. As a Co-Director I was in charge of a tutoring site and it was an incredible experience. I decided to take the next step and run for the Director position to oversee all tutoring sites. I want to continue our community empowerment.
I like the emphasis SOLES puts on community involvement. Throughout the academic year SOLES participates in 6 major outreach events and it’s amazing to see our volunteers conduct workshops for our student guests. As engineering students we have academic responsibilities that take a lot of our time, but the SOLES membership is always present to volunteer 1 or 2 hours to impart interest in Science, Math and Engineering to future generations.
Our very first event on campus, Engineers In Training (EIT) Day. It’s my favorite because our target students are high school juniors and seniors. Not only do we put workshops to incite interest in engineering, but we provide information regarding Financial Aid and our student panels are most helpful with personal experiences about college. The student guests are about to start applying for college and it is important to provide as much information as possible; most of the students are first-generation attending college who don’t know much about the application process. If we need to make a difference is now!
For the immediate future, to complete my degree in Chemical Engineering; afterwards, spend a year in France completing requirements for the French major. I am still uncertain regarding graduate school. I’m looking forward to get an internship next year and some professional advice regarding pros and cons of graduate school from the supervisors. I still have two more years as un undergrad student and I plan to stay active within SOLES all throughout.
Since the beginning of the school year I wanted be part of this organization because of its positive atmosphere and the common things that all of its members shared. So being part of the board last year prepared me and encouraged me to grow as an individual and take on greater responsibilities within SOLES.
I always had the mentality that going to college would mean that I would have to be on my own and that idea scared me. Luckily in SOLES I found the support that I need to make my college experience much more exiting. I have learned to treat it as my own family.
It was very hard to make a decision but I would have to say Family Day. This event connects SOLES with each of the members and their families. Also we are able to demonstrate to our families the purpose of the organization and the positive impact it has in our community.
I am still deciding on what emphasis I should focus on, but I definitely want to continue my education after obtaining my Bachelor in Science and pursue a doctorate degree.
Since I came in as a freshman, I've been very involved, and I've seen what a great organization SOLES is and all the good things that SOLES does. I just really want to help further that and make the organization better than it already is.
I like the sheer variety of things that SOLES does. From the outreach to precollege students to the amazing professional development events to the social events to the conferences, everything SOLES does makes it an amazing organization.
It's a hard choice, but I think that the most fun event I've been to so far has to be the National Conference this last year in Washington DC. Everything about the trip was awesome. Sightseeing in DC, the massive career fair, everything. It's a huge event and one of the best weekends I've ever experienced.
My plans for the future include finishing school, then maybe working for a while before going to graduate school for engineering.
I love that SOLES helps members and the outreach to the community, increasing leadership skills and encouraging kids of all ages to consider engineering careers. It's great that, aside from all other things, SOLES holds social events like Gender Night and Buddy Bowling help the members interact and take a break from school. The support to grow as a student, a professional, and an individual is amazing; knowing that I can be a part of it is rewarding and encouraging.
I like the helpful environment; whether it's upperclassmen helping out younger students, members tutoring kids, or the outreach events to help K-12 students learn about college and engineering, everyone is willing to help.
The national conferences are my favorite because there's professional development (and the possibility of getting a(n) internship/job), opportunities to meet people from other regions, and a chance to see new places.
Finish my degree, work, and attend graduate school while maintaining involvement in SOLES.
I was motivated to be a part of the SOLES board because I want to make a difference and make a positive impact on the members. I want the members to feel welcomed. I became a member of SOLES because I love the way that this group of students is able to accomplish many tasks by working as a team. Not only do they accomplish the unexpected they surpass limits. By being part of the SOLES board I am going to be able to learn skills from my position that will help me through college and my professional experience.
I love that when I am in a SOLES event there is always a positive atmosphere. We are always laughing and having a good time. Every time that I am at an event I am happy and really enjoy that everyone receives everyone with open hands. Going to these events as a freshman become a new step to the college experience and I am glad that I was able to have a great one!
My favorite event was the Ski Trip. It was so much fun and I was able to have a blast. This was my first time and I was able to meet many members and just have a blast. It was my first time going to Big Bear and I had a great time sledding on the snow. Everyone gets to meet everyone well and you are a big family in a cabin.
I plan to graduate, come back to my hometown and seek a job while attending graduate school.
