Christine Byrd  Byrd is editor in chief
2000-01. If you want to hear about how absolutely amazing the Daily
Bruin staff is this year, e-mail her at [email protected]. Â
If I told you the secret to success at UCLA and in life,
you’d laugh. It’s WEPAP.
Yes, that’s right. WEPAP.
Say it with me now: work ethic, positive attitude,
perseverance.
A successful Bruin told me that one. After he completed his
career as a scholarship UCLA baseball player, he went on to teach
junior high algebra.
The most dynamic people I’ve ever met from all the places
I’ve traveled across the country are UCLA students or alumni.
You probably already know many Bruins and you’re going to
meet more this year.
And you’re a Bruin too. That must make you a dynamo.
My former teacher still talks to his students about UCLA: how to
get in and how to go beyond. And WEPAP is always involved.
It’s because of him that I’m at UCLA. And it’s
probably because of WEPAP that you’re now at this
university.
It doesn’t matter if you always knew you would get here or
if you never dreamed it, whether you’re a brand spanking new
freshman or a super-duper sixth-year senior.
It doesn’t matter if you came from a private school where
mommy and daddy bought you a new car on your 16th birthday or if
you went against the grain and worked your way through high school
to help pay the bills.
It doesn’t matter if you got a 1550 on the SAT or a
950.
Now you’re here, and this is probably as close to an equal
playing field as you’re ever going to get in your life.
Welcome.
We call it U-C-L-A, but really, have you seen L.A. lately?
Take a look around this campus and you’ll see a
second-stringer gone winning quarterback. A conservative transfer
student elected president of a historically leftist (long ago,
arguably communist) undergraduate student council. A youngster from
the Bronx grown up to be a chancellor. An intramural hockey player
turned founder of a fund for paraplegics. And that baseball player
who became my Algebra teacher.
There is a reason everyone changes their major five times at
UCLA and a reason the road you once set out on takes dozens of
stomach-rolling, high-speed, dizzying turns in your time at UCLA.
Growth takes place exponentially around here.
On this campus are world-class professors, state-of-the-art
technology, one of the most diverse communities in the world, a
notorious nightlife, an acclaimed sports legacy and (not to toot
our own horn) arguably the best college newspaper in the nation.
Now what are you going to do with all this?
Do something new, try everything ““ anything. Just as long
as you don’t do nothing.
Of course, not everything here is for you. Perhaps you’re
tired of parties, or you are burned out on studying, or the big
city smog chokes you. Don’t worry, there is much more out
there.
But be careful. There will be people who try to corner you in.
They will say there is only one path to success, one way to get
from point A to point B; that the smog will never go away.
So keep your eyes open. Make sure that you see L.A. for
yourself.
You’ll discover countless people taking an unexpected
path, going the untried way and having more fun in the process.
Maybe for all its diversity, UCLA isn’t diverse enough for
you. Change that. Maybe among all this science and technology, you
still wish we had the cure for cancer. Find it. Maybe among all the
nuggets of wealth in the surrounding communities, you think the
poverty you hit when you drive down Sunset Boulevard is unfair. Fix
that.
And I hope the Daily Bruin is part of your guide. In the real
world (beyond the television show Survivor), part of being an
educated, responsible and successful citizen is being an informed,
opinionated citizen. While on campus, you will be asked to vote in
national elections and student government elections. Regents who
govern the UC system will make decisions influencing the ethnic and
socioeconomic diversity of our classrooms. Fees may be initiated,
construction may be delayed, athletes may break laws, a struggling
student musician may make it big time.
The university, for all it has to offer you, requires action and
participation. UCLA did not become the most dynamic school in the
world because its students and alumni sat back and let someone else
run the show. I hope you don’t let anyone else run your show,
either.
Be an informed community member, pay attention and have an
opinion. Watch who is in power and who is not.
Maybe you want to be an informer; by all means, come to the
Daily Bruin and apply for an internship. Maybe you just realized
the need to be an informed student. Then read the paper.
That old cliche, “There’s something for
everyone,” well, there’s some truth to it at UCLA, and
I’d like to think in The Bruin, as well. Look through the
paper every day and you’re bound find something that
interests you. And if you come into the office, you’ll find
artists, designers, photographers, editors, reporters, columnists,
sports writers and movie reviewers ““ someone like you.
Be passionate. Whether it be in the laboratory, the library, the
social scene, a band, student government, a fellowship, an outreach
program or the football field ““ find a passion this year and
participate in this amazingly dynamic community. Let the Daily
Bruin be your guide and introduce you to this community. Let us
show you L.A.
Make it your year. And don’t forget the WEPAP that got you
here.