BruinLife
  • Home
  • The Blog
  • BruinLife Store
    • Yearbooks
    • Dedications
    • T-shirts
  • Graduates/Seniors
    • About UCLA Grad Portraits
    • BruinLife Photo Studio
      • Book Your Appointment Now
        • Undergraduate Portrait Appointment
        • Graduate Portrait Appointment
      • Preparing for your Portrait Sitting
      • Online Proofs
    • Senior Highlights
  • About
    • Staff
    • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Top Posts
The 12 Most Influential UCLA Athletes of the...
Staying Safe During the Holidays
Welcoming Nike and Jordan Brand to Westwood
Diane Zhao: 2020 UCLA Senior of the Year
Arsal Zaheer: 2020 UCLA Senior of the Year
Nathan Mallipeddi: 2020 UCLA Senior of the Year
Evan Lovell: 2020 UCLA Senior of the Year...
Annie Kokoyan: 2020 UCLA Senior of the Year...
UCLA men’s basketball falls to USC in final...
Koreatown: and the Impact of Cultural Displacement
BruinLife
  • Home
  • The Blog
  • BruinLife Store
    • Yearbooks
    • Dedications
    • T-shirts
  • Graduates/Seniors
    • About UCLA Grad Portraits
    • BruinLife Photo Studio
      • Book Your Appointment Now
        • Undergraduate Portrait Appointment
        • Graduate Portrait Appointment
      • Preparing for your Portrait Sitting
      • Online Proofs
    • Senior Highlights
  • About
    • Staff
    • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
0
Author

Reza Hessabi

Reza Hessabi

2009 UCLA Senior of the Year

Wylie Wan: 2009 UCLA Senior of the Year

by Reza Hessabi March 24, 2009
written by Reza Hessabi

Wylie Hoi-Yee Wan graduated from UCLA in fall 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a host of extracurricular activities accompanying her 3.904 GPA. But these details alone did not define Wan’s collegiate journey: her path was marked by many transitions and changes that have taught her to pursue her passions as far as they will go. Wan entered UCLA in 2004 and “did almost nothing but go to class,” she related. But while working in a tutorial program her freshman year, Wan decided to change her lifestyle after being shocked by the harshness of life in her tutee’s neighborhood. “I didn’t know I had so much in my life I could appreciate,” she reflected. Wan decided from then on to “actively explore opportunities and make friends.” The new resolve propelled her into a love affair with psychology that would define her perspective on life. Eventually, Wan began working on her psychology departmental honors thesis, which would lead her to the offices of Dr. Thomas Bradbury, a man she considers to be her “mentor.” His laboratory had Wylie working many intense hours that demanded much from her, but the powerful examples she had in her mother and father made her push forward. She said, “My dad had to go to night school and support himself, while my mom was the eldest in her family and had to give up a lot to give her family a chance. I feel that they worked so hard, so I can work that hard too.” The dedication she showed garnered her glowing praise and adulation from the professor himself, and other academics she was involved with. One of these academics was Dr. Bernard Weiner, for whom Wylie was a teaching assistant in Psych 178. Her talent and diligence in serving the students singled her out amongst other TAs and cemented her qualities as an “open, friendly, co-operative and helpful” person according to Dr. Weiner. For Wylie, the experience would spur her interest in becoming a professor in Hong Kong in order to help develop programs that would lower the suicide rate amongst schoolchildren. Wylie’s ambitions, her past work and her diligence were all qualities that made her a capable, knowledgeable and well-rounded student. Her advice to young Bruins was simple: “Take that first step to find where you belong, whether it’s in academics, athletics, clubs or service. Then just step back and watch your life transform.” The meaning behind her words, and the example she has set with her actions, will provide a model of success for future students of UCLA to come.

 

Photographed by Enrique Torreblanca
Photographed by Enrique Torreblanca
March 24, 2009 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterEmail

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

Ad:

Ad:




bruinlife

Life is good, but Bruin Life is better.
www.bruinlife.com

UCLA BruinLife
"I love plants. One day I hope to have a space fil "I love plants. One day I hope to have a space filled with house plants and a backyard filled with flowers."
Claudia Bernaga, 3rd year, English Major
Photo by Naomi Holmes
"Today I went to Covel and got M&M’s… all the "Today I went to Covel and got M&M’s… all the managers at Covel know me because I always get M&M’s. "
Alex Lewis, 2nd Year Political Science and Cognitive Science Double Major
Photo by Ariana Fadel
”I’m more likely to cry when I hear other peop ”I’m more likely to cry when I hear other people’s stories and I rarely cry for myself.” Nancy Zhang, 1st year, Computer Sciene Major. 
Photo by Catherine Wang
"I love poetry" Yasmin Siyad, 1st year transfer, P "I love poetry"
Yasmin Siyad, 1st year transfer, Psychology major
Photo by Catherine Wang
“I'm away from home, but at the same time very c “I'm away from home, but at the same time very close. This hot breeze reminds me of summer nights where I would play guitar and sing with my brother. The start of spring motivates me to go out, have fun, and take care of myself; it gets me excited for summer.

I started taking photos during my junior year of high school, which was one of my worst years. Photography helped me in my hardest moments because I instantly found my surroundings more beautiful. Honestly, I never found the sky to be beautiful until I started taking pictures. It sort of popped out of nowhere and completely changed that year around and who I am now." Elizabeth Pinos, 3rd year, Psychology
Photo by Anna Yang
“One time Lady Gaga threw her jacket at me.” M “One time Lady Gaga threw her jacket at me.” Maria Roman, 3rd year, American Literature and Culture Major
Photo by Catherine Wang
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Email
Footer Logo
  • Home
  • The Blog
  • BruinLife Store
    • Yearbooks
    • Dedications
    • T-shirts
  • Graduates/Seniors
    • About UCLA Grad Portraits
    • BruinLife Photo Studio
      • Book Your Appointment Now
        • Undergraduate Portrait Appointment
        • Graduate Portrait Appointment
      • Preparing for your Portrait Sitting
      • Online Proofs
    • Senior Highlights
  • About
    • Staff
    • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe

©2019 - UCLA STUDENT MEDIA