Bruin Woods has touched the lives of many students. Read on to learn about the experiences of the 2011 Bruin Woods student staff. This could be you!
Although I have been involved in many different on-campus organizations, nothing can compare to the experience I have received from doing Bruin Woods. I created so many memories and opportunities that I would never trade my time at camp for anything else. The friends that you meet become your family, and the families you meet become your friends. I have never heard of another place where you get paid to have fun. This place is sure to become your home so don’t miss the chance to apply to the best summer of your life!
After a year and a half at UCLA, easily the best decision I've made is applying to Bruin Woods. When I applied I didn't truly know what Bruin Woods was going to be like other than it looking like a fun, well paying job. But it turned out to be so much more than that: it was a life changing experience. As a fishing guide, I spent a lot of my time out on beautiful Lake Arrowhead fishing with amazing, successful alumni and their families. Other times I might have been doing any number of things, such as playing volleyball with the guests or dressing up as Iron Man and playing games with kids, the whole time working with many of the 50 most fun, creative, and hilarious fellow student staffers that work each summer. And you're surrounded by this sort of energy up there that's impossible to describe but impossible to miss. Don't make the mistake of passing this up.
Bruin Woods has defined my college experience at UCLA. When I was first hired to work the summer after my freshman year, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. All I knew was I needed a summer job and from what I had heard, Bruin Woods was an absolute blast and the best summer of your life, guaranteed! I am pleased to say it was the best summer of my life... until the following summer when I worked at Bruin Woods for a second year and that became the new best summer of my life. Every day at BW is a new adventure full of fun, laughter, and new experiences. There are so many activities: boat rides, ropes course, archery, mafia, pool time, field trips, talent shows, sports, and much more. You are a hero to all the kids and their excitement is contagious! The parents are some of UCLA's most successful alumni and are eager to spend time with and help out other Bruins. The connections you make are invaluable. More than anything though, the connections you make with your peers are the most invaluable. I can truly say that I have made tons of best friends by working at BW. Even when we get back to school, we all hang out and make time to meet up throughout the year. The students that work at BW are some of the absolute best UCLA has to offer. Everyone is involved in tons of activities in many areas around campus; they are talented, charismatic, and fun. If you ever need anything, you can count on any staffer to be there for you. Bruin Woods is the definition of work hard, play hard. Working there has taught me to put my whole heart and soul into everything I do and live with no regrets! This is an experience that will assuredly change and enrich your life, and one that should not be passed up!
The decision to apply to Bruin Woods was easy, but I could not fully understand how and why Bruin Woods is so special until I spent time up there myself. Having now been on staff twice, I can assure you that there is no better way to spend your summer. The complete Bruin Woods experience includes meeting interesting and successful UCLA alumni, getting to play with their adorable kids, going from strangers to friends to family with 50 other students, renewing your Bruin Pride and creating thousands of incredible memories. By working as a fishing guide, I was able to spend every day on beautiful Lake Arrowhead. My second summer as a Cub Counselor meant that I was paid to play with five and six year olds all day! Applying to Bruin Woods means that you too could have the summer of a lifetime!
Bruin Woods is really a magical place. My family and I were guests there for several years when I was young so I have always known how special of a place it is, but working there was an even more amazing experience. Being a counselor to the Cubs, a group of five and six-year-olds, was incredible. I learned things about life and people that a regular summer job could have never taught me. I became a hero to so many kids and it was the most rewarding feeling I have ever come away with from any sort of internship or job. Plus, the other staff members are the most talented, silliest, most creative, and most intellectual people imaginable. And they become your best friends! Throughout the summer, I bonded with kids, parents, and other staff members and made unbelievable connections and memories that will last a life time. If you like kids, sun, costumes and amazing friends, there is no other place but Bruin Woods for you. It is honestly the best place in the world!
When I talk to other people about working at Bruin Woods, it’s hard for me to stop. The countless memories that come from spending twelve beautiful weeks at Lake arrowhead make this past summer the best of my life. Every day I woke up to the amazing grounds and long days filled with playing with kids and being a positive role model to them. Each week is filled with mountain biking, wake boarding, and making connections with families that will last for the rest of your college life and beyond. Bruin Woods families are some of the most successful UCLA Alumni and professors, and many student staffers find career networking opportunities that aren’t available anywhere else. So if any of this sounds just a little bit fun or interesting to you, make sure you apply or risk missing out on the summer of your life!
One of the best things about UCLA are the countless opportunities that are available for students to define their college experience. Out of everything I have done at UCLA over the past four years, Bruin Woods has without a doubt been the best choice I have made. Every past Bruin Woods staffer, me included, will tell you that it is the best summer of their lives - they aren't lying! Instead of spending summer moving back home and trying to find a job, Bruin Woods has allowed me to live in Lake Arrowhead and work with UCLA alumni and their families. There is nothing like waking up in Lake Arrowhead and getting to spend your day working with kids and interacting with successful UCLA alumni. More than that, at Bruin Woods, you can water ski, go hiking, mountain bike, go on boat cruises and more, all while getting paid. The connections made at Bruin Woods are truly priceless, from the amazing students you work with to the amazing alumni and families you meet. There is truly nothing like Bruin Woods and the experience it gives you.
Applications for Bruin Woods are due no later than February 7. Mail in your application or turn it in to the James West Alumni Center.
