Hi! My name is Matthew, and I'm a third-year student majoring in Psychology on the pre-med track, with a prospective double minor in Brain & Behavioral Health and Global Health. Outside of the extracurriculars I'm involved in at UCLA, I love exploring LA, learning tennis (emphasis on learning), playing guitar, and spending time with my friends.

Hometown

I'm originally from Oakland, California! (Whaddup 510)

Major(s)

Psychology

Minor(s)

Brain & Behavioral Health, Global Health

Clubs, organizations & involvement

UCLA Parenting & Children's Friendship Program (Senior Research Assistant) UCLA Aftercare Research Program (Research Assistant) Jacobsen Lab (Research Assistant) Aliso Canyon Disaster Study (Research Assistant) UCLA Health Companion Care Program (Volunteer) Camp Kesem (Camp Counselor) Mobile Clinic Project (Caseworker​/​Database Comittee Member) Cub Tours (Tour Guide) Club Taekwondo (Member, Safety Officer)

Describe your college experience

I was honestly really scared coming to UCLA because I went to Head-Royce, a very small private school (my graduating class size was 94 kids), from kindergarten to 12th grade, so I never had experience moving schools or going to a large school where I didn't know everyone in my grade. However, the transition to UCLA was a lot easier than I thought it would be. From orientation to just how friendly everyone was, I felt at ease pretty quickly. It was just a matter of finding my people within the larger student population of UCLA.

Tip for future students

- Be okay with taking breaks! Just because you're not working 24​/​7 doesn't mean you're slacking off. Breaks and rest are super important and help you avoid burnout, so don't be afraid to take them :) - Learn to ask questions and attend office hours when you need them. Getting help is so much easier than your brain going in circles for an hour, and you can get advice directly from the professor, who will inevitibly be creating the exams, so double win right there. - Do things you're genuinely passionate about. I feel like I do a lot of extracurriculars, and although there are many days where I feel really busy or like there's a lot to do, I don't feel super burnt out because I love all of the activities I'm a part of. On top of that, life is too short to spend a lot of time doing things you don't really enjoy. It's never too late to find something you care about. - Although it can be scary, don't be afraid to branch out and make new friends! People are much more receptive to meeting new people (and simultaneously scared to make the first move) than you would think. Find clubs​/​organizations you care about and meet people through that, sit next to someone in class, or say hi to the people on your dorm floor. In my experience, most people are extremely kind at UCLA, but it's super difficult to make friends if you never even try to put yourself out there in the first place.

Favorite class

My favorite class at UCLA so far has been a Cluster class, which are special year-long classes at UCLA that only freshmen can enroll in. The particular Cluster that I took was called Brain, Bodymind, & Society, and was an intersection of neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and film​/​literature analysis all centered around human behavior, mental health​/​illness, and historical conceptions of the brain. I love learning about human behavior, so it was super interesting to me. Because it was a yearlong class, I also made a lot of friends that I still hang out with to this day, so just an added bonus there as well :)

Career goals

I hope to become a pediatric physician! I'm not sure what specialty yet, but I love working with kids and the connection aspect of primary care.

Ideal way to spend a free night

My ideal way to spend a free night is either learning a new song on the guitar, learning to cook​/​bake something new (probably something unhealthy), or being with my friends doing absolutely anything.

High school or secondary school

The Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA

Previous college

N​/​A

Favorite spot on campus

My favorite spot on campus is probably our sculpture garden. Because the weather is almost always sunny here in LA, I love to sit on the grass in the sculpture garden and either do homework, listen to music, or just sit in silence and enjoy the ambience.