With 24,500 followers, it is safe to say that sophomore Charlie Kratus, a business economics student, with his daily good morning messages, has made him a Bruin celebrity. Starting with a daily weather report, Kratus’ Instagram account “Good Morning UCLA” has expanded over the past two years to club profiles, comedic bits, raising awareness for the Bruin Relief Initiative to help support Angelenos’ recovery from the Los Angeles fires and more. For him, it’s always been about wishing his schoolmates a good morning to brighten their days.
“Starting in sixth grade, I actually did announcements on the intercom, and I thought it was super fun,” Kratus said. “I went to a Catholic (middle school), and I would say, ‘Good morning, Satan is the doors!’ (The joke is meant to poke fun at how students dread walking through the doors into school, so he would refer to the doors as the devil which students seem to think they are) Then I would talk about all of the announcements of the day, and then I would finish with the ‘yoke’ of the day, which is something I still do but not enough.”
The ‘yoke’ of the day was a way for him to inject joy into his peers’ lives through humor, but positive energy with Kratus doesn’t simply start with the “good morning” and end with the “yoke.” Rather, he tries to spread it throughout his day at UCLA.
“I have a philosophy for what Good Morning UCLA should be, and every single video must meet one of these criteria or I won’t do it,” Kratus said. “It’s ‘PEP.’”
What’s PEP, you might ask? PEP stands for positivity, engagement and philanthropy.
“These videos have to be positive, brightening a student’s day,” Kratus said. “Whether that means it’s more of a funny video, it’s amusing or something awesome on campus – it’s something positive.”
While every content creator wants their content to be engaging, Kratus hopes that students who watch his reels become more engaged in the Bruin community.
“Whether it’s highlighting a club, highlighting a sporting event you can go to or highlighting First Thursdays, (I’m showing) … something you can go to,” Kratus said. “(It’s about) how … we get students out of their dorm and involved in the community because that’s where they’re going to be able to make an impact, feel like they belong and increase their satisfaction at school.”
Kratus acknowledges that at times, it can be difficult for a new student to find “their place” in such a large university.
“I mean, you don’t really know until you try (different clubs) out,” said Kratus. “So I would say just trying clubs, going to info sessions is a terrific way to start. There’s just so many Bruins out there doing really cool stuff.”
Although Kratus covers plenty of hobby and sports clubs including the Whistling Club and Dodgeball Club, community service is integral to him. Since the Palisades fire broke out, Kratus has been busy providing fire updates on his Good Morning UCLA account and finding ways to help out the LA community at large through the Bruin Relief Initiative, a fund organized by UCLA student government organizations to support relief efforts for the fires across LA County. Kratus manages the public-facing side of the initiative.
“Last week, I went in front of the Target and was out for two to three hours and collected a ton of donations, but not everyone needs to do that – it can be something small,” Kratus said. “We’re really low on volunteers some of these mornings, so definitely this is an incredible way to help out our neighbors. This is a once-in-a-generation type of disaster in our city, so I think we all have a role in helping out our neighbors in need. There’s opportunities for donation, but we’re going to continue to roll out new and innovative ways to get involved.”
Kratus’ freshman-year roommate, Julian Stassi, an economics student, helped him start Good Morning UCLA.
“There’s something to be said for all the philanthropy he’s done. I think that’s truly special,” Stassi said. “(Him) going out each quarter, using his extra swipes to feed the homeless or donating the money to give them clothes or supplies, and then the Bruin Relief Initiative. It’s really great to see that philanthropy expands beyond the immediate UCLA community. He really cares about everyone at UCLA, he cares about the school and I think that extends past our campus to the LA area.”
Regarding spreading positivity among the Bruin community, Kratus has a piece of advice.
“Well, I think school spirit is a huge part of positivity,” Kratus said. “I think that we have a terrific amount of school spirit, but I think we can have even more, so I think going to these games is a terrific, terrific way to feel part of the UCLA community and cheer on your classmates. Then there is the community service mindset. I think it’s just things I mentioned earlier, taking small actions collectively that will make a big impact on UCLA and beyond.”
As a business economics student, Kratus mentioned how his community service mindset influences his perspective on business, which was formed in part through a community college course he took in high school called “Servant Leadership.”
“I really think it taught me some interesting principles, and I think as leaders, entrepreneurs or students, we should all take this service leadership approach to life.”
Throughout Kratus’ Good Morning UCLA journey, his love for the Bruin community, which he believes makes it the best university in the world, has been his driving force.
“I really do (Good Morning UCLA) because I love it and because I feel that it’s so important at this unique time in our lives, and I want to do it for other students to help them find their community,” Kratus said. “And I really see my job like I play a sport here, even though I don’t play a sport here, but I treat it like it’s something important, even though it’s just a silly little Instagram account with silly little videos.”
—
Featured Image Photographed by Mira Daya/BruinLife
