A hand reaches in to touch the water in the Inverted Fountain. UCLA students have traditionally touched the water in the fountain during their Freshman Orientation and then not again until graduation. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.
Every school has its traditions, every school has its superstitions and every school has its rivalries. UCLA is no exception. When did they all start? Very few still remember, but these collective, annual events and small, harmless beliefs have become an integral part of what it means to be a Bruin, bringing UCLA students together with UCLA staff and alumni for a century and counting.
A student rubs the paw of the Bruin Bear. In UCLA tradition, students have rubbed the bear’s paw on their way to a final to receive good luck on it. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.Water flows through the inverted fountain in the late afternoon sun. The inverted fountain has been home to one of UCLA’s most prominent traditions, Bruin-tizing. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.Second-year mechanical engineering student, Simrin Sood, walks down Janss Steps, carefully avoiding the sixth step. Traditionally, UCLA students have skipped over this step to avoid having to do an extra quarter. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.A Bruin cheerleader holds up a number one as senior basketball star, Lauren Betts, shoots a freethrow. In UCLA tradition, students have packed games against the USC Trojans, keeping the rivalry between the two schools alive. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.The UCLA student sections cheers on the women’s basketball team as they take on USC. Bruin tradition dictates that students go to these matches to support the Bruins and boo the Trojans. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.Cate Kelly, co-choreographer of Icarus’ performance, shines on the stage at Spring Sing. The performance at LATC has been looked forward to by Bruins since its conception in 1945. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.
Icarus Contemporary Dance Company performs in front of a thrilled Spring Sing crowd. The group returned to the historic Spring Sing stage this year, eager to show audiences why they have become a UCLA powerhouse. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife
Members of the 529s, Max Jenkins, Kiva Schweig and Jacob Mayer, close out their Spring Sing performance to the sounds of the crowd roaring at LATC. Traditionally, bands have used their Spring Sing performance as a launch pad for expanding their fanbases and to continue making music. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.
Kiva Schweig plays the guitar during the 529s performance at Spring Sing. Bruins have showed up and shown out at Spring Sing for over 100 years, solidifying the event’s spot in UCLA tradition. Photographed by Regan Rhodes/BruinLife.
Regan is a second-year sociology student from San Diego. She started taking photos in the sixth grade, but has since fallen in love with film photography. In her free time she likes to go to concerts and plays, especially musicals. Some of her favorites that she's seen recently are Arctic Monkeys, Chappell Roan and Hadestown.
