Ara Farnam ’02

Ara Farnam ’02 has an enviable relationship with her career. It began simply and sweetly, the way any good romance should: her friends were getting married, and asked her expert design advice. Fresh from a lovely stint in interior design, Ara quickly recognized that she could fill a void that needed filling, one that was quite lacking in the wedding industry. The Arizona native realized her true calling, integrating her love of aesthetics with her love for… well, love. Shortly thereafter, she established her New York-based consulting firm, Rock Paper Scissors.

RPS, though a fairly young company, is the admirable accomplishment of a happy Bruin. Ara has already completed several weddings with more in the horizon. Her knack for planning and coordinating dates back to her UCLA days, where she enjoyed a multitude of extracurricular activities. A proud Delta Gamma, she served as a counselor at Bruin Woods and on SAA’s Internal Affairs, Operations and Spring Sing committees. She notes that these activities definitely sharpened her time-management skills, especially while planning simultaneous weddings. Perhaps most importantly, these positions gave her the confidence to step out of her comfort zone.

Branching out into the unknown is nothing new to the woman who has lived in cities around the world, and this ability to embrace the unexpected is certainly bolstered by Bruin experiences. Being a Bruin on the other side of the country means having a surrogate family with whom she can network and socialize, something that has certainly aided her career. Ara was able to acquire office space from a fellow Bruin, and one of her first clients – for whom she designed an amazing vintage-travel-themed wedding – was a proud alumnus. UCLA loves to play matchmaker, and this is one successful relationship that is going to last a very long time.