12 Strangers + 8 Claps = Final Four?

When I was in college, I once signed up to attend a dinner where I didn't know anyone. I did that on purpose. The dinner was hosted by the Student Alumni Association, which was in charge of organizing a plethora of events for students to attend, and was just a small gathering of 12 people. This again, was on purpose. Dinners for 12 Strangers is a UCLA staple and is in such high demand that there are waiting lists to attend a dinner. Who wouldn't want to go? Once you get over the initial awkwardness of a "stranger in [your] house," you enjoy getting to meet people that you wouldn't have otherwise met, dine on good food, and probably go to an area of town that you hadn't explored yet, because the alumni who volunteered to host the dinners lived all over Los Angeles. 

Now, as a child our parents teach us stranger danger, but then as soon as you hit 18 there's a shift in the universe where meeting strangers is not only the way of life, but encouraged. I once heard the saying that all friends begin as strangers, and as a young professional in a city that is constantly shifting, this couldn't be more true. I love my friends, but knowing only one other Bruin in DC had me yearning for a stronger connection to my alma matter, especially as we were approaching March Madness. So what did I do? I signed up for an alumni Dinner for 12 Strangers to meet some "strangers like me" in DC!

The evening began timidly, as is expected when you know you're going to be stuck hanging out with "strangers in the night" for a few hours. The first thing that everyone did upon arriving at the host's apartment was pour themselves a glass of wine, into the classiest yellow solo cups. Not only were the solo cups awesome because they complimented the blue plates that dinner would be served on, but they also had this chalkboard-like strip on them where you could scratch in your name. Since the dinner was an informal setting sans nametags, this was a brilliant way for everyone to avoid saying "that's not my name" all night.

Everyone was asked to pitch in by either bringing a bottle of wine or a side dish to accompany the meal, and our host started us off with a cheese plate set out for munching during our little cocktail hour. We schmoozed and warmed up to one another before our host suggested that we all grab a plate of food and "come together" around the couches.

Dinner consisted of homemade lasagna and garlic bread, a fresh salad, the extra sides that guests brought and a whole lot of reminiscing. From the way the campus and Westwood have changed since we all graduated to getting the scoop from a former Daily Bruin reporter on local scandals and campus history, I was in good "company" the whole time. 

Recalling some of the greatest UCLA student traditions we experienced like camping out for tickets to basketball games, attending Spring Sing and sneaking into the underground tunnels, "my generation" had some pretty awesome moments at school, probably just like the generations before us.

And just like that it was five hours after we all knocked on our host's door, no longer strangers. You know how the song goes, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold," though I guess stranger danger got thrown out the window when we were all taught that tune. This sing-song life lesson is the cornerstone of Dinner for 12 Strangers and I'm excited to see these new friends again, especially to (cross your fingers) root for our Mighty Bruins this tournament season. 

In the meantime, here's an eight-clap shout out to the new strangers in my life: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - U...C...L...A... U-C-L-A FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!

MS: From Galas to Walks

As the 2013 MS Walk approaches, I think that while this disease has caused too much pain for my sister and anguish for my family, it has also given us the opportunity to gather all of our family and friends for a great way to give back.

This year we're lucky; the Walk will be the second MS gathering for us, as in January my family and I were honored by the National MS Society at their annual Gala Luncheon.

The day was beautiful: family and friends surrounding us, a few tears overshadowed by many more laughs, good food and great fashion. But it wouldn't be a Rothman outing if everything had gone swimmingly.

The morning started off with my sister sleeping right through her alarm. While the rest of us were waiting, practically reciting the White Rabbit's mantra "I'm Late" - from Alice in Wonderland, she was busy taking an exorbitant amount of time primping herself, setting us back about 40 minutes on our schedule for the day. When my dad FINALLY coerced her into believing that she was beautiful enough for public viewing, he had me "dun dun dun" the famous tune from "Rocky." Only this time instead of reaching the top of a set of stairs, we were celebrating my sister descending our staircase and gracing us with her presence.

If showing up fashionably late is the equivalent of a cocktail dress, we were full-fledged ball gowns by the time we arrived at the Gala. We were quickly ushered inside and placed in front of a backdrop to take pictures. Stand here. Shuffle to the left. Move your arm. Get closer. Step forward. More. More. Okay stop. Smile. I imagine this is how the stars feel when the "Paparazzi" are trying to get a good shot.

Once we had taken all of the necessary pictures, I was able to take in the venue the Gala was being held in. We weren't in your typical hotel ballroom, we were in a private airplane hangar at the Ft. Lauderdale airport! It was decorated for the Gala with splashes of orange and white everywhere (since orange is the color of the MS ribbon), and there were private jets surrounding us from the moment we drove in to the fashion show at the end. I felt very "Fly Like a G6." 

After schmoozing at the silent auction, all 1000+ guests sat down for lunch to begin. This was the part of the day where the "welcome's," the "thank you's," and the "congratulations'" took place. This was also the part where my family and I had to give speeches about our connection with MS. But not my Mom. My Mom is actually very articulate, but is so "emotions taking me over" like Destiny's Child that she can't ever get a word out past "Hello" before she starts blubbering. While we were being introduced she was even getting teary and behind the stage my sister and I embodied "make 'em laugh" to keep her focus on something other than the more serious part of the day.

She pushed through as one-by-one me, my Dad, and finally Alie gave our speeches and then we all came together to accept the award being presented to us. We didn't have to worry about Mom crying here, because Alie dropped it. Twice. I thought of the Aaliyah lyrics "If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again." When that advice didn't work for her, they finally handed the award to me to hold for the picture.

It was a great way to break the ice though, and move right into the fashion show. We had front row seats from our table and all of the "supermodel[s]" sache shante'd right past us in gorgeous bathing suits, sundresses and ballgowns. Perfect for sunny SoFla.

And now I'm back in SoFla for the Walk tomorrow. While I can't wait to spend the day with family and friends and see what shenanigans are in store for us, I hope that one day all the Walks are cancelled because we helped raise enough money for research that erased MS.

If you would like to donate to my Walk efforts for Team Alie, please visit the link below: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/FLSWalkEvents?px=7791254&pg=personal&fr_id=19538