Joe Manko Manko was the 2001-2002 SAA
president. Â
Most of us remember first stepping onto the campus and wondering
if this was the right place for us. We have all felt at times
that maybe this was a huge mistake, maybe UCLA is too large, and
maybe everyone’s college experience isn’t the dreamy
set-up you see in the movies. We can each remember hundreds of
faces, personalities and individuals who walked into our lives for
a while. They have left their mark, leaving lasting impressions on
our souls from which we have been forever changed. They are those
brave souls you have studied abroad with, they are fellow
counselors at a local camp or an after-school program. They
are the members of your cultural club, or the teammates on your
intramural team. They are roommates and classmates, students and
teachers, lovers and friends. These are the faces that pass through
your mind when you look through pictures of moments when you were
totally and completely happy. These are the faces you wish were
there when you need someone to cry with. For each of us, UCLA has
meant something a little different. And whether it has been a place
to learn and grow, a place to share new opportunities and new
experiences, or a place where you can postpone your adventures into
the real world for just a year or two longer, this campus has
become a home to each of us, both graduates and returning students
alike. We will never forget our times here and will never lose our
connection to UCLA. As time progresses, I hope each of you will
remember those moments, those faces, those individuals and those
memories that have made your time here incredible. I hope you will
continue your connection with UCLA and will provide it with the
same nurturing care and dedication that thousands of graduates have
shown and continue to show our school. I hope you will realize that
you make a difference to this university, and to the community that
surrounds it, and to the students who will follow you. I hope your
times here have provided you with the strength and the inspiration
and the courage to go out and not do just good things, but to do
great things. My best wishes to the class of 2002 ““
let’s go out and change this world. Go Bruins!