Sequels are rarely better than the original, but this just might be an exception – it’s time for team Millennium.
Mulan
You know those people who get to college and try on a new identity? Mulan donned many hats during her undergraduate years at UC Davis. Etiquette lessons were scrapped for jiujutsu practice, and she traded in her lipstick for mouth guards. She felt free without the aesthetic pressures of perfection associated with femininity, and settled into embracing the more masculine aspects of herself, while still identifying as a woman. She took an Intro to Women & Gender Studies class and realized the immense flaws that comprise the gender binary. Fascinated by this class, she decided to add Women’s Studies onto her International Relations major. She also cut off her hair and tried out a new name.
Mulan was frequently in the Women’s Resource and Research Center, helping plan events, workshops, classes, and rallies to promote gender equality. In preparation for the WRRC’s annual Empowerment Conference, Mulan played an indispensable role in organizing a speaker in addition to creating her own section of the workshop that facilitated participants’ exploration of their own gender identity. When she isn’t kicking her opponents and the patriarchy into the ground, she stays grounded at Akasha Yoga perfecting her poses. Her favorite pose is definitely Warrior 2.
Tiana
Tiana’s spirit and tenacity brings to mind many of Beyoncé’s most profound quotes, but she specifically embodies the concept of, “A diva is the female version of a hustler.” If you rearrange the letters needed to spell “Davis,” you can spell “Divas” – and Tiana is without a doubt the leader of female hustlers at UCD.
Somehow, she balanced two restaurant jobs and two majors, while still finding time to be involved in ACE (African Americans and Africans Cultivating Education). In order to pursue her dream of owning and running her own restaurant, she studied Food Science and Managerial Economics, while rushing to and from Sacramento to work at her favorite BBQ and Soul Food joint, the Sticky Gator, when she wasn’t waitressing at Café Bernardo in downtown Davis. Did I mention she graduated a year early? She is a proud member of team no sleep, and can be spotted at whatever coffee establishment is closest, or kissing frogs before they go under the knife in a biology lab.
Rapunzel
After finally leaving her hometown for the first time, Rapunzel decided to major in Anthropology, and became involved all over campus. In between classes she could be found on the quad braiding hair or climbing trees. She was a particularly odd girl: she was always talking to herself and spent a lot of time alone, but it seems that’s the way she liked it. This golden spitfire was regularly spotted rock climbing at the ARC with her own glowing rope, or painting at the Experimental College, spinning clay on the wheel, and even designing clothes.
She was most well-known for her tireless work with the Outdoor Adventures Club, leading countless backpacking and climbing trips. Her fellow adventurers remember her as their spunky leader whose trusty frying pan would always clack against her backpack. Rapunzel always wanted to stop and enjoy every beautiful thing they stumbled upon, afraid that she would never get to see it again. Although she saw most of Northern California’s most beautiful natural parks, she always wanted more. So over the summer she interned abroad in Peru, where she climbed Macchu Picchu and befriended alpacas.
Merida
Students quickly learned to never sit behind Merida in class or at the movies. Not that there was anything wrong with her, it was just a massive struggle to see past those untamed, bouncy red curls. Merida’s parents thought it was odd that she took interest in old world things like sword fighting, blade making, archery, and witchcraft. She was happy to come to UC Davis and realize that there was an academic program just for her: Medieval Studies. When she wasn’t reading Arthurian Legends, she was spending time at the Equestrian Center and practicing for her next horse show. Since Merida liked to break the rules as frequently as she could without getting caught, “practicing” included sneaking her horse, Angus, out for night rides in the nearby fields.
Her athletic talents were also put to good use as a member of the UCD Archery Club, and climbing in her free time at the ARC and Rocknasium.
Merida and Mulan were very close friends because they liked to practice and teach their preferred fighting styles to one another, in addition to fighting against gender norms.
Elsa
During Elsa’s first trip to Tahoe with SOS (Ski or Snowboard Club), she was on track to becoming one of the most beloved members. By some strange twist of fate, every time Elsa attended a ski trip, there was always so much fresh powder.
She became the club’s good luck charm, and was always encouraged to head up to the mountains with her friends. Two years later, Elsa’s younger sister Anna came to UCD and joined SOS. On her first ski trip, Anna suffered a terrible accident, which many members swear was caused by Elsa. Rumors circulated her club, Elsa panicked and decided she needed to get away for a while.
She took some time off from school and decided to travel for a few months. It was when she was passing through Switzerland that she realized that her self-inflicted guilt shouldn’t stop her from skiing on the Alps. So she did. When she came back to Davis, she vowed to overcome any mountain that stood in her way. Elsa changed her major to Psychology with the hope of eventually helping others who suffer from psychological traumas and illnesses. She became an intern for Student Health and Counseling Services and soon realized that practically everyone has a tough battle that they are fighting. She eventually rejoined SOS and was warmly welcomed back- she graduated a year late, but this gave her enough time to become president of SOS and apply to graduate schools to pursue her PHD.
Anna
After Elsa left Davis for a while, Anna didn’t know what to do without a sister, so she joined a sorority where she could have dozens of sisters. Her sweet and silly personality served her well in Greek Life, but her naivete and impulsiveness regularly got her into trouble. A bit scatterbrained, eccentric, and enamored with all that life could possibly offer, Anna entered UC Davis undeclared, feeling that her purpose would eventually find her. Her ability to improvise and create bizarre faces, and her lack of inhibition, made her a natural comedian, so she joined Birdstrike.
Despite her sunny disposition, Anna was deeply hurting over her sister’s decision to get as far away from her as possible. She truly longed for a companion as important and impressive as her sister, which led to her obsession with finding love. Anna met Hans, a wealthy exchange student, who was more interested in stealing her social security number than actually dating her. Yet, she couldn’t see through him because she was blinded by the light shining off his brilliantly, Colgate-white teeth – teeth only good money can buy.
After receiving an unsettling voicemail from Elsa while she was away, Anna acted upon impulse, bought a ticket to Switzerland and set off to track down her sister. A long flight, a train, and six blocks later, she found Elsa and convinced her to come back to Davis. Upon her return, Anna was confronted by all the organizations she bailed on, and decided to return to her roots at SOS with her sister. She decided on becoming an Education major so that she could eventually become an elementary school teacher, where she could exercise her goofy kindness with ease.