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Volume XIV - Issue III - Spring 2019  Brothers Emily Liu and Trevor Hershberger on their interview! Hello alumni! I hope you've had a great start to the summer and are avoiding the heat so far! This quarter was a great one for Psi, full of both fun and productive events. We integrated our newest actives from Beta Chi into chapter, held fundraisers like our Boba and Dim Sum sale, participated in another successful Wind Ensemble Invitational service event, and made lasting memories at 2019's Beach House weekend. We also put on the digital Networking Interview event this quarter, which went very well! Thank you to everyone who participated and met with an active, they all enjoyed meeting you and appreciated your advice and experience! We closed the year by saying goodbye to our graduating senior class of 2019, a group of wonderful and talented brothers. While they will be missed, we look forward to seeing what great things they will accomplish as they move beyond their time at UCLA. Read more about them in our Senior Spotlights article and help welcome them into the alumni community! This quarter has also been an important one for our chapter and the band as a whole as we prepare for the coming fall. On that note, I have two important announcements for all of you! First, at the end of the Spring we installed a talented and highly capable new Officer Board! They are: President: Daniel Fernandez, BY Vice President of Membership: Erica Vellanoweth, BΦ Sergeant-at-Arms: Casey Armstrong, BY Director of Service: Christiana Gutierrez, BΦ Director of Music: Emma Boone, BΦ Treasurer: Brandon Free, BΦ Brotherhood Relations Officer: Garrett Henkle, BΦ Director of Brotherhood/Sisterhood Relations: Ryan Lee, BX Secretary: Ivy Kwok, BX Alumni Relations Officer: Haley Nelson, BY Historian: Matthew Espinoza, BX Webmaster: Eric Wong, BΦ Secondly, as some of you may already know, Prof. Gordon Henderson will be retiring effective October 2020, following two quarters of sabbatical leave in fall and winter of next year. This meant that the band was in need of a director for our upcoming fall season. After an extensive search, the Department of Music has announced that Prof. Kevin McKeown will be taking over as interim band director for next season! He is currently the Director of Bands at Santa Monica High School, but is a former Bruin who we're looking forward to welcoming back to Westwood this fall! If you would like to reach out to him with any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions (or congratulations!) he can be reached at kmckeown@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy reading through this edition of the Encore! I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you all as ARO and wish you all a fantastic summer! AEA, Haley Nelson, BY Alumni Relations Officer, 2018-2020 Would you like to be more involved in our chapter? Here are some great ways to do so!
By Kevin Reidy, BX With baseball season in full swing (pun fully intended), it’s time we honor some of the all-stars who have enriched the band and the Psi Chapter who will be retiring after this season. They’ve racked up some impressive stats: a combined 2,123 stand tunes played, 12 degree ceremonies and 96 chapter meetings attended, 3 plumes dropped, 336 bandwiches consumed—the list goes on. They have done so much for our organization and the band, and we are so immensely proud of each and every one of them. The following is a closer look at our seniors, their accomplished pasts, and their bright futures.  Joey Auer Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Instrument: Tuba Majors, (Minor): Political Science, Economics, (French) Class: BT Officer Position: Vice President of Membership (2018-2019) Plans after graduation: “After graduation, I will be taking a break to travel with some friends. We will be taking a road trip to Utah and Colorado to explore the national parks in that area of the country. Afterwards I will be looking for jobs, one of which may be joining a 2020 presidential campaign in some capacity.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “I’m excited to see how the chapter continues to grow and morph to meet the needs of its current members.” Fun Fact: “I was lucky enough to spend a lot of my time at UCLA traveling. I’ll always remember my trips around the country and to Japan with the band, my summer study abroad in France, and my quarter in Washington, DC. Moreover, I’m eternally grateful for the fact that no matter where I roamed, I always had the comfort of knowing my home at UCLA was waiting for me.”  Nathan Cai Instrument: Alto Saxophone Major: Molecular, Cell, and Development Biology Class: BT Staff Position: Section Leader (2016-2019)  Sean Ezenwugo Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Section: Drumline Major, (Minor): Biology, (Global Health) Class: BT Officer Positions: Historian (2016-2017), Secretary (2017-2018) Plans after graduation: “Work full-time with the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “I'm looking forward to acquiring new hobbies with the newfound free time.” Fun Fact: “My twin brother plays in the Cal band, and we always found a way to switch spots, sneak onto each other’s buses, etc. during the annual UCLA vs. Cal game.”  Veronica Giap Future Residence: Bellevue, WA Instrument: Alto Saxophone Major, (Minor): Physiological Sciences, (Asian American Studies) Class: BT Plans after graduation: “Gap year and physical therapy school, and ultimate frisbee to some kind of degree.” Looking forward as an alumna: “Not studying for a year.” Fun Fact: “Ultimate frisbee became my glue between everything I loved.”  Jacob Hambalek Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Section: Drumline/Drum Major Major: Bioengineering Class: BT Officer Positions: Music Chair (2016-2017), Sergeant-at-Arms (2018-2019) Plans after graduation: “Graduate school for one year then biotech industry.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “Tailgates at football games! And buying band friends garlic fries.” Fun Fact: “My unique UCLA experience definitely revolved around band! I loved every second of it.”  Brendan James Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Instrument: Trumpet Major, (Minor): Economics, (Music Industry) Class: BT Staff Position: Section Leader (2016-2019) Plans after graduation: “I plan to begin my career in the Music and Entertainment Industries.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “I am looking forward to corresponding with the Psi Chapter and to meeting incoming members.“ Fun Fact: “I had incredible opportunities to travel to, and perform in, Japan and Taiwan with the UCLA Bruin Marching Band.”  Tracy Lahey Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Section: Flute Major, (Minors): Human Biology & Society, (Public Health, Environmental Systems & Society) Class: BT Officer Position: Section Leader (2017-2019) Plans after graduation: “I'll be working for a biotech company in the area as part of a 3 year rotation program!” Looking forward as an alumna: “Avoiding bandwiches and sweat at football games and kicking off a fresh chapter!” Fun Fact: “I feel accomplished because I tunneled and roofed—both were much more difficult to coordinate and succeed in than I imagined.”  Michie Leccese Future Residence: San Pedro, CA Instrument: Alto Saxophone Major, (Minor): Psychology, (Disability Studies) Class: BT Officer Position: Director of Service (2017-2018) Plans after graduation: “I will be going to Pepperdine University in pursuit of my Masters in Psychology.” Looking forward as an alumna: “I look forward to knowing that as an Alumni I am a forever Bruin, linked to all the amazing experiences and memories UCLA brought me.” Fun Fact: “I spent the second half of my college career learning American Sign Language. It brought me to my minor, and led me to some amazing opportunities that I would not have found elsewhere. ASL has really helped me understand the different words around me and has given me a great tool for language on my own life. 100% recommend taking sign language if you have the chance.”  Tia Liu Future Residence: Arcadia, CA Instrument: Flute Major: Psychobiology Class: BT Officer Positions: DLC Chair (2016-2017), President (2018-2019) Plans after graduation: “I plan on studying abroad in Japan for the summer to complete the last of my degree requirements, and then apply for jobs in the marketing field when I return to Los Angeles. Eventually I would like to pursue marketing in pharmaceuticals, but would like to earn more marketing experience beforehand.” Looking forward as an alumna: “I'm looking forward to guiding the new members of the fraternity in either the process, being an active, any future presidents, and being able to welcome new members of my family at degrees!” Fun Facts: “Despite being involved in so many different organizations, all which hold a part near and dear in my heart, I will treasure my moments with the UCLA marching band and Psi the most. My favorite moment in the band was probably finally beating U$C after 3 years of losing. That football game honestly felt like a fever dream, like it was too good to be true, especially considering our season record. I'm grateful I was surrounded by my friends and brothers for that special moment in my undergraduate life.”  Megan Clark Future Residence: Antelope, CA Instrument: Tuba/Trumpet Major: Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Class: BU Plans after graduation: “Getting a field technician position and eventually grad school.” Looking forward as an alumna: “Coming back for degrees and seeing everyone again!” Fun Fact: “Switching to tuba for my senior year was crazy and super fun and would highly recommend to anyone considering.”  John Lassetter Future Residence: Roseville, CA Instrument: Trombone Major: Physics Class: BU Staff Position: Rank Leader (2018-2019) Plans after graduation: “Pursuing a masters at UO (Oregon) in applied physics.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “Having a degree.” Fun Fact: “Join climbing team!”  Abby McCallum Future Residence: Dallas, TX Instrument: Horn Major: Biology Class: BU Staff Position: Section Leader (2018-2019) Plans after graduation: “I plan to finish up my classes at UCLA through fall quarter, then I will be moving back to Texas to complete a postbac program and continue the path to medical school!” Looking forward as an alumna: “I hope that there are still ways to be involved even out of state! Honestly I'm just excited to see what life is like on the other side of chapter.” Fun Fact: “I volunteered at the hospital and it honestly changed my life! It really put things into perspective and has made me so much more thankful for the everyday things.”  Harrison Mitchell Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Instrument: Tuba Major: Mechanical Engineering Class: BU Officer Position: Director of Service (2018-2019) Plans after graduation: “I’ll be working by LAX at PBS Engineers.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “Mostly not having to deal with classes.” Fun Fact: “Right at the end of my freshman year, I went with a bunch of tubas up to the roof of the law library; the views of west LA were gorgeous.”  Patrick Gardner Future Residence: Los Angeles, CA Instrument: Tuba Major, (Minor): Psychology, Music Industry Class: BPhi Staff Position: Equipment Crew (2017-2019) Plans after graduation: “I’m trying to work toward becoming an audio engineer.” Looking forward as an alumnus: “I look forward to going to degree ceremonies!” Fun Fact: “I had a ton of fun playing guitar and singing on the porch with brothers at Beach House 2018!" Thank you seniors! Congratulations, Class of 2019!  Top (left to right): Sean Ezenwugo, Patrick Gardener, Nathan Cai, Harry Mitchell, John Lassetter, and Brendan James. Bottom (left to right): Tracy Lahey, Abby McCallum, Vy Giap, Tia Liu, Megan Clark, and Michie Leccese. By Justin Nguyen, BY What is my family line? Well it’s a very good line, a nice linear one, because as far as I can tell, it’s had no branch points. Just no-nonsense, one big gets one little and so on and so on for eternity maybe. While I do not have access to the Psi family tree to verify my bold claims regarding the line-like nature of my line, my knowledge of the line begins with my great-grandbig, Caitlyn Thompson, followed by my grandbig, Jordan Tinker, and then my big, Andy Hsu, followed by me, and then my little, Ethan Cai, and his little, Lex Toledo. Notice, that like my sentence, my line is quite linear.
Technically, we are part of the larger entity known as Effleurage. But, as part of the unofficially titled “Left Side” of Effleurage, our connection to Effleurage is distant. As a result, we are but a small, humble line, doing the honest work of staying alive, but we got some spunk. In my time in chapter, Jordan has demonstrated himself to be a paragon of tasteful sass, Andy a wonderful role model and master of Texas Instrument calculators, me doing whatever I’m doing, Ethan enabling and contributing to ridiculous antics, and Lex presumably still figuring out if she should be frightened or not. However, despite being a solid family line, we do not yet have a name to align ourselves under. Thus, as the elder active of this line, I deem us to be “Driftwood,” due to this massive piece of driftwood we have permanently borrowed from the sandy dunes of this year’s BeachHaus. It is a massive, club-like chunk of wood that is great for both offense and defense, and I think, is a great symbol of the wonderful weirdness of our line. Little do future descendants of this line know that they will literally be knighted with this giant piece of driftwood during degrees (or at least I think that is the plan).
So now you know a little more about “Driftwood.” What’s the moral of this story? Branches are lame. A nice, smooth piece of driftwood is just so much more aerodynamic. Thank you for reading my rant. Have a wonderful day!  By Sara Acosta, BΦ On May 1st, 2019, our chapter held its annual Active/New Active basketball game. Brothers began to arrive at the Hitch basketball courts at around 4:30 P.M. to warm up their hoop-shooting muscles for the big game.
Tension between the teams ranged from nonexistent to moderately high as Bigs shouted mild-mannered threats across the court to their Littles. New actives promised to beat the old actives and follow in the footsteps of their class predecessor, Beta Phi. Old actives vowed to defeat the new actives and show the young’uns what they are made of. Gone were the friendly, welcoming faces seen by the candidates during post-degree activities -- the actives meant business. By 5:30 P.M., the game began. Each team sent their starting line-up onto the court. The game would run until a 20-point threshold was met and one of the teams won by two points. Notable offensive plays on the side of the new actives were by Randall Reza Jr., Justin Ward, Liam Wallace, Gus Billing, Naveed Zaman, Adam Pingatore, and Ryan Lee. Despite having varying levels of basketball experience, the new actives played with a lot of heart, suffering a few cuts and bruises along the way. Defensively, new actives Gabriel Ramirez and Kevin Reidy put up a solid wall against the old actives, even as they constantly apologized for stepping on active toes. On the flip side, the old actives saw great offensive contribution from Jacob Hambalek, William “Big Bill” Shu, Trey Knudson, Sean Ezenwugo, Eduardo Giordano, Matthew Chin, Jacob Re, and Keegan Fowler. Defensive contributions were made by Casey Armstrong, Erica Vellanoweth (aided by her Captain Marvel fanny pack), Sara Acosta, Vy Giap, Vito Emanuel, Brandon Free, and David Matter. In the second half, Sean Ezenwugo broke his glasses in a rebound scuffle -- he was a great sport about his loss of sight, however, and stayed upbeat on the sidelines while fiddling with his broken frames. After a long game filled with shows of physical prowess, moments of heightened suspense, and attempts to dunk, the brothers of the Psi chapter finally reached the final score -- 29-28, New Active victory. Beta Chi hard-earned their moment of glory. At the end of the day, brothers congratulated each other on a game well played, and some went to get dinner afterwards. There was brotherhood in Rendevouz that night. By Haley Nelson, BY
By Daniel Fernandez, BY
By Erica Vellanoweth, BΦ During Memorial Day weekend, about 50 brothers of the Psi Chapter came together to enjoy one of the most highly anticipated events of the year - Beach House. Though a little late this year, we were all overjoyed to take a break from backbreaking midterm season and take some time to enjoy each other’s company and the California coast. We started the weekend on Friday as brothers slowly drove in to Oxnard from Westwood, settling in to start a long night of playing board games with one another strolling the beach, and eating a wonderful spaghetti dinner and brownies for dessert.
 A few brothers getting in a warm-up game before Jailbreak! The next day started with brothers waking up to cooking pancakes, bacon, and eggs. It wasn’t long after that we stormed the beach to roam around, play games, and wade in the cold cold water. We played three rounds of our beloved Jailbreak, complete with matchups Beta Tau & Beta Phi vs. Beta Upsilon & Beta Chi (winners: Beta Upsilon & Beta Chi), Seniors & Sophomores vs. Juniors & Freshmen (winners: Juniors & Freshmen), and finally, Brass vs. Everyone Else (winners: Brass)! After enjoying a scrumptious lunch of sandwiches, the Psi Chapter was rocked by the biggest scandal of 2019: the “beep beep” incident. By no means was the “beep beep” incident expected. It started slowly, and gained traction: brothers were minding their own business when they slowly realized that the security system at the House was double beeping every 10 seconds, to their curiosity. Before delving into a complete panic about if this was a serious emergency, and spiraling into what this could mean about the future of our weekend, brothers worked together to discover the root cause of “beep beep”: the wifi router (it’s a long story). Though “beep beep” was short lived, it was not easily forgotten, and the birth of the “beep beep” meme was born. For more information on this troubling time, ask a brother!  The first "beep beep" meme, credit David Matter After the “beep beep” incident, brothers were able to enjoy taking pictures together on the sand dunes, and finish the night in an inclusive and heartfelt brotherhood activity planned by our Brotherhood Relations Officer, Daniel Adea. After the Psi Chapter had its traditional Sunday raffle, said its goodbyes and left for home, we knew that Beach House 2019 was one to be remembered for years to come. A huge thank you to our alumni host Anthony Sanchez for making this event possible and for assuring the weekend went smoothly! We’re so thankful for your support and resourcefulness, especially during “beep beep”.  Brothers Daniel Fernandez, Daniel Adea, Adam Pingatore, Anthony Sanchez (our lovely alumni host!) Christiana Gutierrez, and Matthew Chin share a laugh on the beach! |
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