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Campus Cutie: Michelle Belko

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Jenni Jacobs
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rachel Miller
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

Name: Michelle Belko
Year: Sophomore
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA.
 
Her Campus: What is your favorite thing about UCSB?
Michelle: Being able to live in one the most beautiful places on earth with the most amazing friends.
 
HC: Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments in college so far.
M: Last year, my friends and I were sitting in Portola for Saturday brunch telling our “what happened last night” stories and my friend could not stop laughing about how her and a guy found a random bike outside last night and decided to hang it from a stop sign. She proceeded to pass her phone around with a picture of it. When the phone got to me I realized the bike was mine. Since I wasn’t completely positive, I played it off and immediately ran to check after we were done eating. There it was. My already bent in, painfully squeaking loud beach cruiser, hanging on top of the stop sign like a banner of humiliation for all to see.
 
HC: What is your idea of a perfect first date?
M: “That’s a tough one. I’d have to say April 25th. Because it’s not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket”
 
HC: What is your favorite food?
M: A nice quality meal at in-n-out.
 
HC: Describe yourself in three words.
M: Loud, Sincere, and Motivated.
 
HC: What is an interesting fact about yourself?
M: I have a tattoo on the back of my neck in Thai symbols that means, “have faith.” I got it in honor of my brother who passed away last year unexpectedly. The Thai symbols represent his love and fascination with the Asian culture, and his dream he had of becoming a medical translator.
 
HC: So we heard you are in training for a marathon, can you tell us about that?
M: My brother’s death has taught me how short life truly is, and how to value every moment that we are given. He taught me how to be brave and have courage and with this I have decided to begin working towards my first bucket list project: running a marathon. I have signed up to run in the San Diego Rock N’ Roll Marathon through Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.When deciding to sign up for this marathon, I didn’t want to just do it for myself and my goal of checking it off my bucket list. I wanted to do it for a purpose. Then I found out about Team in Training. Team in Training is an organization of people all throughout Santa Barbara ranging from college ages through mid-fifties that meets together for community based training all while separately fundraising $2,200 for cancer research. Already, I have met the most incredible cancer survivors and heard life changing stories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. This amazing cause and organization has driven me to have a bigger purpose in life, and to strive to live my life in hopes of helping make a difference. If anyone would like to donate or even read more about my fundraising journey, feel free to check out my website http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/rnr12/mbelko! 

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Rachel is a senior at UC Santa Barbara and studies Communication and Global Peace and Security. Rachel is from a small, beautiful town in southern California called Palos Verdes. However, Palos Verdes is just one of the many places Rachel has lived. Rachel spent her childhood moving and traveling all over the world, living in places such as Indianapolis, Indiana; Santiago, Chile; Vienna, Austria; and Orlando, Florida. Rachel has found her heart and her home in California, choosing to spend her college years in sunny Santa Barbara. However, Rachel continued her wanderlust when she studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain in Fall 2012. At UCSB, Rachel is an immensely dedicated and involved member of her sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she held the positions of Panhellenic Delegate, Inter-Greek Counselor, Rho Gam, and a member of the Nominating Slate. Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a passion of Rachel's, as she is their Social Media Coordinator as well as an active and proud member. As a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honors Society, Rachel is able to implement her prowess and affinity for communication and communication-related issues. When Rachel is not writing, participating in Kappa events, or volunteering, you can find her in the gym, on the soccer field, watching Modern Family, or cooking. Rachel's love for sports, food, and writing often times go hand-in-hand, as one may see in her weekly blogs. For the past two summers, Rachel has been freelance writing for the Los Angeles Times, and hopes to continue her career pursuit of journalism after she graduates. Rachel is elated to be a part of Her Campus's fabulous team and loves every moment of it!