Meet this week’s Campus Celebrity, Ellen Lester! Ellen is a junior at UCLA and is very involved throughout the school. She is the president of Delta Delta Delta and is very active in other organizations. Ellen is truly an inspiration and a role model!
Major and year: Third year, Psychobiology major
What organizations are you a part of on campus?
President of Delta Delta Delta, Care Extenders, Medical Internship Fellowship for International Service and Health (FISH), Research Assistant in lab of Dr. Andrea Hevener, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Tutor with Project Literacy
What made you choose UCLA?
When I first visited UCLA as a high school senior, I was amazed by how vibrant the campus was. Because I came during the height of the spring campus tour season, you couldn’t walk 2 feet without bumping into someone—but I loved it! There were so many people around, all outside enjoying the sun and the beautiful campus. It didn’t even feel like I was visiting a school. I felt like I had found the place I could call home for the next four years.
Favorite memory at UCLA?
My favorite memory at UCLA has been dance marathon of my freshman year. I vaguely remember being so exhausted that I wanted to just quit, but those parts are hugely overshadowed by all the fun memories. Looking back, I can’t believe that I stayed on my feet for 26 hours! After making it through dance marathon, I feel like I could survive anything.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I hope to be finishing up medical school. Ideally, I’ll have a better idea of what type of physician I want to be and I’ll be on my way to achieving this goal—whatever it might be! As long as I’m still working towards a career in medicine, I’ll consider that a success.
What’s your favorite spot on campus and why?
This is going to be really cliche, but my favorite spot on campus is Dickson Plaza. You can see all the most beautiful buildings at once, as well as the views off of Janss Steps. Sometimes when I get caught up in the stress of school, I lose sight of why I came to UCLA in the first place. But walking through Dickson Plaza always reminds me of how lucky I am to be here.
If you could do one thing over in your past years of college what would it be?
I’ve had a lot of great college experiences, but also some not-so-great ones. Even so, I wouldn’t go back and change anything. The only reason I’ve grown so much as a person during these past few years is because of these experiences, not in spite of them. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in college is to just do what makes you happy, so I suppose my only regret is to not have learned that day one of my freshman year!