Author: Kylie Hadden

The fall quarter went by fast, but the winter quarter flew by even faster! It’s insane how my first year at UCI is almost complete. I’ve experienced so many things academically, through extracurriculars, and in my personal life in the dorms. With two quarters under my belt, there are a few goals I’d like to make for next quarter to finish off my first year strong!

Coming to UCI, I was interested in the major of data science. At the end of next quarter, I should be able to transfer into the major! One of my main goals is to heavily focus on finishing the requirements to transfer into data science. I’d also like to further my understanding of data science. I was thinking of joining a club that is STEM-related next quarter. One club I was interested in joining is Filipinos Unifying Scientists and Engineers in an Organized Network (FUSION). My friend who is in data science is involved in this club, so I was thinking about checking it out next quarter. This goal is my most important one since I’ve wanted to achieve this goal since the beginning of the year.

Another goal I’d like to achieve is to become more active. One way I’d like to do this is by joining intramural sports. I believe softball is one of the sports offered for the spring quarter. It’s been a while since I played in high school, but I’d love to jump back into it. It will be great to get back into the sport that I’ve played growing up.

One last goal I’d like to make is to explore campus more. Most of my classes in my first two quarters at UCI were online, so I barely had the opportunity to be in person and explore the campus. I’ve heard of many study spots around campus (like libraries, the student center, etc.). I want to discover a new study spot outside my dorm’s study rooms! I also want to walk on campus more and spend more time at Aldrich Park. Maybe I’ll spend bring a blanket out with some friends and chill as a break from studying.

Winter quarter was filled with many adventures, and I’m expecting Spring quarter to be just as exciting. Below, I added a few pictures capturing a reflection of my winter quarter. I can’t wait to see what Spring has in store!

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Above, you will see a visual of “my brain.” There are five main parts of my brain I believe are important for me and my everyday life: family and friends, travel, hobbies, academics, and Filipino culture. In my zot blog, I will go more in-depth about what each of these thoughts means to me and how they shape my life.

Family and Friends:

I am a very family-oriented person. I absolutely love hanging with immediate and non-immediate family at family gatherings. My family means the world to me because they have always been my biggest support system. They give me so much joy in my life, give me amazing life lessons, and guided me through the ups and downs of life. I am grateful for my family as they always make me smile! Like I’ve said in previous blogs, I love meeting new people and making new friends. Hanging out with friends is one of my favorite things to do to have fun and destress.

Travel:

Growing up, my parents have brought my sister and me to different places. We usually took road trips to long distances or traveled by airplane to different states. I learned that I love to travel and visit new places. I like to discover new areas and discover different places like shopping areas and restaurants!

Hobbies:

Three hobbies that I’m interested in are softball, dance, and video editing. I grew up playing softball, and even though I haven’t played in a while, I still love to be involved by watching games. Next quarter, I may try playing softball for intramural sports. Dancing has always been a hobby of mine since I was younger. Dancing is a way I express my creativity. Video editing is another way I express my creativity.

Academics:

My academics is important to me. By the time I graduate, my goal is to become a well-educated student and enter in a career of work I’m passionate about. Focusing on academics will help me achieve my goal.

Filipino Culture:

Many of my blogs this past year has focused on me immersing myself in Filipino culture. It’s so important to me to express Filipino culture because it is part of who I am. The food, music, language, clothing, dances, and other culture aspects are all things I want to learn more about.

Cultural clubs have always been something I have been interested in pursuing. I am Filipino-American but have never felt like I have fully immersed in learning about the Filipino culture. In previous blogs, I have written and given glimpses of becoming involved with Kababyan at UCI. This club is an organization at UCI that emphasizes the academic, cultural, political, social, and community parts of the Pilipinx experience. Kaba has many different programs that I have participated in to explore my interest in Filipino culture.

Kababayan at UCI has a range of programs, workshops, and meetings that focus on the different 5 different pillars (academic, cultural, political, social, and community). Programs that are available to general members include intramurals, academic mentorship programs, alumni panels, social programs (general meetings, k-fams, etc.), and cultural programs. One I have been very involved with is the winter quarter internship program. For 10 weeks, interns get to learn about the behind-the-scenes of Kaba by shadowing 2 board members, learning leadership skills, and building new relationships with the board members. My experience with this internship has been helpful and amazing so far. I have learned so much more about leadership and the tasks of the board members I intern under. Another program that has just begun this quarter is the Philipinx-American Culture Night (PACN). This program runs throughout the winter and spring quarters as it prepares general members to perform cultural dances and other activities towards the middle of the spring quarter. Within PACN, a general member can be in logistical and performance suites. Logistical suites include creating programs, costumes, commercials, and props. Performance suites are the types of cultural dances, skits, and choir. 

Being part of Kababyan at UCI has opened doors to many different opportunities. Not only do I get to immerse myself in Filipino culture, but I’m also able to socialize with other students with the same interests as me. I’ve created so many great memories with board members, fellow interns, and other general members. Even before becoming a wintern, I enjoyed attending general meetings each week as each meeting was a topic that I could learn something new. 

If you’re interested in coming out to future meetings, they are every Thursday at 7 pm in the Dr. White room at the Cross Cultural Center. If you’d like to learn more about Kaba, head to their Instagram @kabaatuci. I hope to see you there!

Wow… these past 4 weeks have flown by so quickly. Weeks 3 and 4 are the beginning of the midterm season. Stress starts to kick in as we start having late-night study sessions and have increased homework loads. To be honest, I have started feeling the build-up of stress just like the fall quarter. In this blog, I will talk about some of the ways I relieve my stress and some new things I would want to try in the future.

My first instinct for de-stressing is to listen to music. Depending on the type of music I listen to, it helps me relax and forget about all the stress I dealt with in the day. My go-to playlist includes many r&b and soul songs. This genre of music helps me calm down because of its chill beats and lyrics. Some artists that I have been listening to are Mac Ayres, Jeerena Montemayor, Pink Sweat$, and Jeff Bernat. Another thing I do after studying is talk to my friends. All of us have been working very hard in our rooms all day; it’s always great to end the day by eating dinner and catching up with friends. Sometimes, we end up watching something in the common room. We recently watched the new movie “Encanto” on Disney+ after a long day of studying. It was such a great de-stresser as I was able to laugh and enjoy the movie with friends.

My de-stressing methods do work well now, but I do want to try some other techniques. Last quarter, I occasionally went to the ARC or Pippin to work out. I really want to try and continue working out. I noticed that exercising makes me feel better and less stressed. Another way I’ve been de-stressing in the past is by joining some extracurriculars. In high school, softball and the dance team were extracurriculars I joined to take a break from school. This quarter, I decided to join Kababayan’s Philipino-American Cultural Night (PACN). Every week, I will be attending practices learning choreography.

The midterm season is very stressful, it’s very important to find ways to handle that stress! Good luck to everyone with midterms, and don’t forget to take a break every once in a while.

Happy New Year! Winter break was a great time to relax, catch up on some sleep, and spend the holidays with friends and family. I spent the first part of winter break in Oregon. In the second part of the break, I traveled to the Bay Area to see some more family. The craziest part about my trip was when I wasn’t able to travel to Reno. Originally, some family friends and I planned to drive to Reno to spend a few days skiing and snowboarding. However, the roads were closed due to snowstorms. To make up for this, we ended up staying in Sacramento and San Francisco for a few nights. We explored the cities and even went ice skating at Union Square.

As I enter the new quarter, there are a few things that I want to change, but also keep from last quarter. A big habit I need to work on is my sleeping schedule. Last quarter, I was able to sleep late at night and sleep in since my classes were later in the afternoon. This winter quarter, most of my classes are in the morning (the first one being at 9:30 am). I want to make sure I don’t miss any of my classes as well as make sure that I get enough sleep each night. A habit I want to continue from last quarter is how I managed my time. In my previous blog post, I mentioned how important it is to balance academics, extracurriculars, and your health. I believe living independently in the dorms has taught me a lot about time management. I hope to continue with this habit. Maybe I can even improve the way I manage my time this quarter!

At the beginning of the winter quarter, I was able to come back to the dorms. It was great to see my roommates and friends again! It also feels great to be back on campus. To be honest, the first two weeks of the winter quarter were pretty stressful. My classes have heavier workloads, which means I need to make sure I spend more time on them. Regardless, I’m still looking forward to many things this quarter! One of them being an extracurricular activity. For the Kababayan club, I was selected to be an intern! I am a coalition and historian intern. Along with the internship, I’m going to be practicing for the Pilipinix-American Culture Night (otherwise known as PACN).

Overall, I’m excited for this winter quarter! Throughout the many challenges that it may throw at me, I hope I learn to overcome them and have fun. I hope everyone has had a great two weeks of winter quarter so far! Stay safe and healthy everyone!