Actually, it was refreshingly unique. In size alone, I was astounded. Needless to say, the turn out of both students and parents was immense. Also, we were able to enjoy the musical performance of UCLA's very own Cadenza A Cappella. Modern music at an induction ceremony? That was a nice surprise. Following this performance, we were introduced to the leaders of ALD & PES, leaders who I am sure will become our mentors and our friends over the years to come.
Next we had a quite wonderful speech given by Youlanda Copeland-Morgan. Her speech was extensive, yet at the same time it was effortlessly articulate, and many of her words still resonate with me even the next day. She spoke of the success that we all can achieve, the success we must choose for ourselves. It was all very powerful, and I think her speech offered a very inspiring message, especially for us first-year students.
After this came the history of ALD & PES, where we learned what each organization stands for (and also why we get two certificates and not just one!). The history of these organizations led right into the actual induction of the students. Here's where I was caught off guard the most: we each got to go up on stage to announce our membership into the organizations! Once we had gone through the new inductees, we got a taste of the other members' contributions; the ceremony concluded with a presentation of awards and scholarships in recognition of the efforts of our (now) fellow members. All in all, I felt that this was rather an exciting and unique ceremony that I'm glad I decided to come to (the sandwiches helped too), and I'm sincerely excited for the years to come with ALD & PES!
-Elliott Lucas
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