My first year at UCI is coming to an end, how crazy is that? As I have mentioned in many of my blogs, I had no idea what to expect coming to my first year of college. I was away from home for the first time, in a new environment, and ready to start a new chapter in my life. From my first blog to writing my very last one, I have learned so much about myself, experienced so many things, and met so many amazing people. For my last blog post, I just wanted to reflect on each quarter and highlight some of my favorite parts of my first year at UCI.
The fall quarter was probably the most terrifying part of my first year. I was very scared but excited to move away from home for the first time. I spent my fall quarter getting used to academics in college and being independent. I also spent time trying to discover different clubs that I wanted to join. Especially during the first few weeks of school, I attended meetings as much as I could. I mostly focused on going to dance workshops and meetings for Kababayan at UCI. Most of my classes were online, so I spent lots of my time studying in the study rooms in my dorm. I became close with my roommates and made new friends with people in my dorm. During this quarter, I explored different areas around Irvine. One of my favorite places that I went to with my friends was Corona del Mar. It’s a beach that is pretty close to campus. This was one of my favorite memories during the fall quarter because it was one of the first times I got to explore off-campus with my friends.
My winter quarter was probably the quarter I struggled with the most. I began to become more involved with one club, Kababayan at UCI, by participating in their internship program. For 10 weeks, I was able to learn more about the club, create programs, host general meetings, and create memories with my intern class and board. While this was an amazing opportunity, it did come with a lot of time and commitment. I struggled with balancing academics and extracurriculars for the first few weeks of school. I was also taking harder classes than the quarter before, so it was a lot more difficult for me this quarter. I started to learn more about handling stress and ways to become better at balancing my academics and extracurriculars.
My spring quarter was more relaxed. I mostly spent my time focusing on finishing my first year strong. I took the lessons I learned from the past two quarters and applied them. This quarter was very important to me as it was the last time I could hang out with my friends before leaving for the summer. During the last few weeks of school, I got to celebrate the school year by attending a banquet and going out with my friends for the last time this year. At Kababayan at UCI’s banquet, I got to go to the Venue by Three Petals at Huntington Beach. I ate some delicious Filipino food from Seafood City, watch a talent show, watch some lip dubs, and learn who the new board is for next year. In the end, we were able to dance on the dance floor as the DJ played music. I also took lots of pictures with my intern class, mentor, and many other friends!
Finals week was probably the most memorable part of my spring quarter. My birthday was during this week, so it was a bit stressful. After I finished all my finals, I went out to dinner at Mad Dumplings with my friends. Afterward, I celebrated my birthday by eating cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. It was nice getting to celebrate my birthday with my closest friends and eat some good cake. On my last day in Irvine, I went out to dinner at BCD to celebrate my friend’s birthday. It was super fun because after, we went to Laguna Beach. It was super pretty at night looking towards the city.
Well, that’s the end of my first year and my time as a Zot Blogger. Thank you for following me and my fellow Zot Bloggers this school year! I can’t wait to come back and experience the next 3 years here at UCI.
This is Kylie Hadden signing off <3
Last Dinner at BCD 
End of the Year Banquet 
Laguna Beach Trip
