Meet this week’s Campus Celebrity, Genie Patra! Genie is a third year Psychobiology B.S. major from LA. She’s involved with more groups and organizations than you could imagine!
What organizations are you involved with on and off campus?
I’m involved in a lot of organizations including: Gamma Phi Beta Sorority (Panhellenic Affairs VP), Flying Samaritans NSU Modern (on campus hip hop team), Student Wellness Commission – Health, Nutrition, and Fitness Committee Bruin Ambassador (division of UCLA Undergraduate Admissions), Chloe + Mint Event Planning (Assistant Social Media Coordinator)
PS. I just started a travel blog (Gallivanting Bean) that I’m launching really soon!
Which organization is your favorite to be a part of?
I honestly can’t pick a favorite because everything that I’m involved in highlights a different interest that I have in my life. I can never imagine myself being involved in just one subject area. I would be so bored without a variety of things to do. My favorite part of being in so many different kinds of organizations is that with each organization that I’m in I have gained another family. These people have become my support system, my friends, and my mentors.
Do you have any short term goals or long term goals?
My parents really want me to go to med school but right now I’m searching for a lot of alternatives. I hope to find a summer internship that allows me to delve further into event planning, marketing, and/or PR. Lately I’ve been considering getting my MBA instead of my MD. My long term goal is to find a career doing something that I love, hopefully that involves event planning, dancing, and travelling. I’ll somehow find a way to do it all!
What do you hope your life will be like five years from now?
I hope to be traveling the world and planning amazing parties! It would be breathtaking if I were able to start my own event planning company. Also, I see myself living in Los Angeles, California or Sydney, Australia. Out of all the places that I have traveled in my life these 2 are my ultimate favorites. Being an LA native I’m super biased towards LA and think that it’s the best place ever. But, when I was 12 I got to travel up and down the Australia’s east coast for 21 days and completely fell in love with the country and the people there. It has the perfect balance of city and nature.
Finally, what are you most passionate about in your life?
I’m most passionate about dance. I’ve been dancing since I was 3 years old but I actually hated it until I was 10. One day something clicked and I just wanted to be dancing all the time. It’s the best way for me to destress and just really let go. My favorite style would have to be ballet. This is probably because I’m a perfectionist. In ballet for every move there’s a specific place that each body part should be. Also, there’s always a way to improve in dance so with each dance class there’s always a different challenge that I can create for myself.
Photo provided by Genie Patra