Meet Sophie Zanders, a girl on our campus who has a lot to say about living life to the fullest at UCLA. From balancing activities such as Kappa Delta Sorority, Unicamp, Campus Cub Tours, and Audacity Dance Team, this girl has mastered the art of trying new things and meeting all different kinds of new people while she’s at it.
What year are you at UCLA, and what’s your major?
I’m a second year majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Anthropology.
Why are you pursuing Communications?
Coming to UCLA, I had absolutely NO idea what I wanted to study. When asked what subjects I was interested in, the only answers I could come up with were what I didn’t want to do. Because, as strange as it sounds, my passion in life is people. I love studying human behavior, ethics, emotions, and mostly interaction. I specifically want to study interpersonal and intercultural communications, because I feel want to foster more peaceful interaction in the world.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Honestly, I have no idea. What I do know, is that 5 years ago, I would never have pictured this as my future. That’s what makes life interesting: you can spend so much time planning, yet nothing will ever go as predicted. Five years from now, I hope to have a job that lets me travel. Future Sophie will have so many countries to explore, people to meet, and stories to share. In an ideal world, I hope to be living in San Francisco with a steady job and steady relationship in 10 years. I’ll have three cats and enough money to indulge in my infamous foodie adventures.
Where do you want to make your biggest impact on our campus?
I want to make my biggest impact on individuals at UCLA. My goal in life, even beyond college, is not necessarily to change the world (or the world of UCLA), but rather to touch individuals’ entire worlds. If I am able to encourage others to be the best versions of themselves, then I feel I have done my job here. In terms of the organizations I’m involved with, I would prefer to have equally important impacts on all of my favorite groups on campus.
What’s a word of advice you have for the girls of UCLA?
One word of advice? I like to think I’m the Queen of Pep-talks, so here is a general pep-talk from yours truly.1. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. There are so many incredibly well-rounded people here, and we all spend too much time worrying that we aren’t good enough. I think it’s time that we appreciate our individual value and focus on the life that we are living here. The closest we will ever be to perfect is when we finally realize that it is completely ok not to be “perfect.” College is supposed to be a time of exploration and a time to create the best versions of ourselves. And somebody else’s “best” doesn’t have to be your best. Appreciate you quirks.
2. Push yourself to try new things. I used to struggle a lot with this, but this quote changed my perspective of the unknown, “Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective, but there comes a time to see what it looks life from the dance floor” (Perks of Being a Wallflower). I try to focus on the idea that YOCO (obviously You Only College Once), so we might as well embrace every opportunity and every moment to step outside of the box!
3.Know that these pieces of advice are things that I am actively working on improving about myself. There’s a lot to learn here outside of the classroom, and that’s what makes UCLA so great.