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Post by coltonharrison on May 3, 2022 23:56:25 GMT
Interview with Active Hanna Sato - Quota 3 Hanna offered to interview me yesterday, and I can see why Raina has so much respect and love for her big. My conversation with Hanna included both more formal and casual topics. She spoke with me about her pledging process and how it differed due to it being online. It was also interesting to hear about their pledge class dynamic especially considering that some of them were in Westwood while others were at home. I also spoke to Hanna about her fooling Raina in order to allow Narek to smash her fruit. The irony of the whole situation was that Hanna had gotten an underripe grapefruit as the next fruit, but it lasted for less than a day. I am grateful that Hanna took the time to speak with me, and I look forward to our future interactions.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 4, 2022 0:12:29 GMT
Interview with Active Caroline Hsu - Quota 3 Caroline and I had productive conversation today at Saxon Suites. We took a walk down to Westwood to get Starbucks, and get some fresh air. We talked about our shared appreciation for Taylor Swift and I asked her what she thought would be the next rerecording. We also spoke about her love of FBI shows. Unfortunately I have only seen a few such shows, but she gave me some very good suggestions, and I look forward to viewing them soon. I was also very impressed to hear that she has published a book that will be available to ht public in 2024. I am grateful that Caroline and I were able to make our schedules align and I look speaking to her again if and when I cross.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 4, 2022 0:18:03 GMT
Interview with Active Ian Dickinson - Quota 3 Ian and I met today at the top of Janss for a walk to the sculpture garden where we conducted our interview. I have heard so many good things about him from the active members and I was intrigued to meet him in person. We had quite the interesting conversation where we talked about his experience eating turtle in China. He told us that the turtle is brought out alive and is marinated all day before it is slaughtered for consumption. It was quite the tale, and it made my experience of nearly eating snapping turtle soup look tame in comparison. We also spoke about his brother and the many diets and lifestyle choices that he makes, including transitioning from being a strict carnivore to a committed vegan. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Ian and I look forward to our future interactions.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 4, 2022 0:23:13 GMT
Interview with Active Saba Salehifar - Quota 3 I had the pleasure of speaking with Saba today in the Sculpture Garden. We spoke about her background growing up in the Bay Area, and specifically in the town where I have been to a few swim meets. She was a lifeguard at the pool where this meet was held every year, and we talked about the intensity of the club team that swims there. Furthermore, we spoke of her superstitions that have been passed on from her mother, and how she is glad she was not at retreat when the mirror broke. We also spoke about the tunnels that run beneath UCLA's campus and where to access them. Our conversation definitely meandered all over the place and I am glad I got to learn more about her interests.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 10, 2022 23:21:31 GMT
Interview with Active Vidya Patel - Quota 4 I had such a great time speaking with Vidya on Friday of last week, and I can see why all of my pledge brothers have had so many great things to say about her over the past few weeks. She was incredibly welcoming and kind, and we had such a productive conversation. I spent some time telling her how my parents ended up in California when they are from the MidWest and East Coast. We also came to the realization that she went to the same high school as my dad, and all of my cousins. In fact she sat next to one of my cousins in math class. Both of our minds were blown by that fact. We also spoke about our hopes of spending time abroad, and working internationally. Lastly, we talked about our siblings and the way that they differ from ourselves. I loved speaking with her and I look forward to speaking to her again if and when I cross.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 10, 2022 23:25:34 GMT
Interview with Active Aya Cohen - Quota 4 I met with Aya early in the morning on Monday in her lounge. Aya has so many unique interests and I especially enjoyed talking with her about her passion for piano performance. It was disappointing to hear about the ways in which Music majors at this school treat non-majors, especially when Aya is taking the class to continue to pursue a passion of hers. We also talked about the observed differences between UCSB and UCLA as she had just returned from Santa Barbara while visiting her boyfriend. Lastly, she gave me good advice as we prepare to go into mock trial and finish out our pledging experience. I am so grateful that Aya took the time out of her day to speak with me.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 10, 2022 23:33:52 GMT
Interview with Active Peter Chelebian - Quota 4 My interview with Peter was very interesting, but also quite enjoyable. When I sat down with him, I let him know that I had heard of his strategy for giving interviews in which he sits there and encourages the pledge to guide the conversation. He told me that was exactly what he was going to do which allowed the conversation to go to down some unconventional avenues. We talked about his time in Vegas this past weekend to watch Silk Sonic perform, and how life changing it was for him. We also talked about his expectations for the new Doctor Strange movie, which I had already seen. At one point during the conversation he made a joke about Lego Star Wars and the Dust Bowl being crucial aspects of his personality, so we talked about our shared appreciation for Legos. He hopes to have a Lego room in his basement one day where his kids are not allowed. Lastly, in relation to the dust bowl, we started a recurring joke where we talked about Peter's experiences witnessing major historical events. He participated in the Dust Bowl migration, he was Napoleon Bonaparte for short period, and he also was a good friend of Rockefeller, the oil tycoon.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 10, 2022 23:52:37 GMT
Interview with Active Mihir Rai - Quota 4 After interviewing Peter at Kerckhoff, I full on ran up the hill to The Study to meet with Mihir. We spent a good portion of our time talking about Marvel movies and our obsession with the MCU. He had not yet seen the new Doctor Strange film, so I gave him my vague review on it for when he does see it. He told me about his movie membership that allows him to see multiple movies per month for the price of one ticket in Los Angeles We also talked about his time in Vegas over the weekend, and he told me about the old people that were in the venue when Silk Sonic was performing. We also talked about our shared experiences as swimmers in high school, and he told me how he gave up swimming to pursue speech and debate instead. Mihir was so easy to talk to; we even went over out time without even noticing. I loved talking with him and I look forward to the opportunity to speaking with him again if and when I cross.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 11, 2022 0:02:22 GMT
Interview with Active Kylie Nakamato - Quota 4 I spoke with Kylie today on the Kerckhoff patio before her shift started at 2pm. We talked about he love for dinosaurs, and I told her about my dinosaurs class. I find the class quite interesting, although I would not consider myself as large a dinosaur fan as she is. We also talked about our shared appreciation for Harry Styles himself. She hopes that she can get tickets to see him when he comes to LA on tour in October, particularly she hopes to see him on "Harryween." Kylie is such a kind person and I look forward to speaking to her in the future if and when I cross.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 11, 2022 0:11:21 GMT
Interview with Active Arianna Pisano - Quota 4 Arianna was so kind to fit me into her schedule on such short notice, and I am incredibly grateful for her time. I spoke to her about her living situation this year in Delta Terrace. My big, Lucas also lives in Delta Terrace, and I am curious to know if she has heard my pledge class and I in one of the Delta Terrace lounges. It has become a de facto meeting place for us, and we have a bad habit of becoming quite loud. We also talked about her love for Pete Davidson and I shared some of my favorite SNL sketches with her. I am glad I got to speak to her again after last talking with her at coffee chats, and I look forward to speaking with her again, if and when I cross.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 11, 2022 0:16:31 GMT
Interview with Active Chanel Nejad - Quota 4 I met Chanel at The Study today where we had a very productive conversation. We talked about our favorite TV shows and movies, and I asked her what she thought of Doctor Strange. We also talked about the significance of the stickers on my water bottle, and how my class is preparing for our mock trial on Friday. We spent a large portion of our conversation talking about my coming trip to Europe over the summer. Europe is one of her favorite places and she was so excited to hear about my plans, and share her own experiences traveling. Chanel is so kind and I loved speaking with her today.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 11, 2022 0:23:00 GMT
Interview with Alumni Jason Cheng - Quota 4 Today I had the pleasure of meeting Alumni Jason Cheng in Westwood. My adopted big, Matthew, helped me get in contact with Jason. He was Matthew's own adopted big, and currently works as an environmental consultant. I loved talking with him about this position, as I am potentially interested in pursuing consulting. It was also interesting to hear about his life outside of college and school in general. We also talked about the differences between Southern and Northern California as we are both from NorCal, he is specifically from the Bay. It was so great to meet someone outside of college who has experienced this fraternity and witness all that it can do to help its members succeed.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 18, 2022 0:10:05 GMT
Interview with Active Ishan Chowdhury - Quota 5 Unfortunately I am locked inside with COVID, so I interviewed Ishan over Zoom yesterday. I talked with him about our experiences at Chi O formal as he was there with Mira. We also talked about his upcoming job working in NYC this summer. I hope to live in New York for a little while in the future, so it was great to hear about his position. We also shared our interests in music, and he told me that he likes Chicago drill music. While I have never heard Chicago Drill, I have briefly listened to Fivio Foreign, a New York drill performer. I am extremely grateful that Ishan took the time to accommodate me, especially with the last minute switch to Zoom.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 18, 2022 0:30:03 GMT
Interview with Active Lucas Ajalat - Quota 5 Today I interviewed with my big Lucas over Zoom. I have COVID so we talked about my isolation experience thus far and we talked about the benefits of not having a communal bathroom. We also discussed our thoughts on the recent Doctor Strange movie, and his favorite super hero. Lastly we talked about Kendrick Lamar's recent album and where we think it ranks in his discography thus far. I have been so grateful to have Lucas as a big this quarter and I loved speaking with him some more.
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Post by coltonharrison on May 18, 2022 0:35:16 GMT
Interview with Active Matthew Lyou - Quota 5 I interviewed with my adopted big Matthew this morning. We began by talking about what I missed last night in membership education, as much of it was concerning hell week. At the latest I will be out of quarantine in time for mock interviews on Wednesday of hell week. We also talked about his experiences visiting Taiwan and Japan. His favorite food ever is fried chicken from Taiwan and it has been years since he had it due to COVID. Matthew has been incredibly helpful this quarter as not only Membership Education but also as my adopted big. He is so easy to talk to, and he is extremely patient with me. I loved talking more with him today.
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