Hello everyone!
My name is Ava (she/her) and I’m a current second year theater major with an emphasis in acting. I grew up in Los Angeles, and have been surrounded by performing arts my whole life. I love reading, dancing, watching movies, and spending time with my friends. I spend most of my time during the school week on the northern side of campus, near the school of Theater, Film and Television (shoutout Macgowan Hall) where classes typically go all day, followed by evening rehearsals. Even though I’m only halfway through my time here at UCLA, a few of my most memorable experiences so far have been through the extracurriculars away from north campus. Funnily enough, I joined some of my favorite extracurricular activities purely by chance. It was totally the “right place right time” moment. At the beginning of the year, UCLA throws the Enormous Activities Fair, where there are rows and rows of student clubs and organizations advertising themselves. At the very beginning of my first year, I stumbled across an organization Delta Kappa Alpha, a national gender-inclusive professional cinematic society. I’ve always wanted to learn more about filmmaking and the entertainment industry, but I was too scared to join. It wasn’t until Winter Quarter where I saw a post advertising their Winter Rush cycle, and I decided to get over my fear and to just show up. I had zero expectations for myself, but I decided that I had nothing to lose by trying.
Ava (third to the left) alongside fellow DKA members wrapping a short film “New Friend”
Since then, I became a part of a group of hardworking, creative, and collaborative filmmakers, where I could learn from their experiences. I’ve only ever really worked in the theater, but living in LA has always made me interested in film, despite having little experience. With Delta Kappa Alpha, I’ve gotten to work on student film projects not only as an actor, but as a production assistant, casting associate, and even as an associate producer of a short film. But most importantly, I made friendships completely outside my area of study. Student clubs are an amazing way to meet new people who can quite literally change the trajectory of your life.
Ava and fellow actors on set for a fellow UCLA student’s music video
My biggest takeaway from my little moment of bravery and showing up was that while it is important to stay focused and do well academically, participating in extracurricular activities is essential for an amazing college experience. One piece of advice someone told me (or maybe it was from a TikTok video) is that a good place to start is to join a club or organization adjacent to your area of study and one completely just for fun. Because after all, the “real world” is not just about what you do for work, it’s about what you do to make yourself a well rounded person.
