RA Interview: Laura Cortez

Interviewers: Emma Sierra

Interviewee: Laura Cortez

This week, I interviewed my RA, Laura Cortez, a 4th-year UCI student majoring in biological sciences, and I asked her some questions.

Where are you from and what made you want to come to UCI?

I'm from South Central LA. I live about 10 minutes away from USC and Downtown LA. I always knew I didn't want to go to school in a neighborhood like that. So when applying to colleges, I was interested in going to a school where I could commute back home if I needed to. UCI just so happened to be the perfect distance, and it didn't hurt that they offered me a full-ride scholarship.

What’s your favorite part about being an RA?

My favorite part about being an RA is talking to students who are introverted and tend to prefer being alone in group activities. I think it reminds me of a younger version of myself. I'm not the most extroverted person, which almost seems like a requirement for being an RA. This experience has pushed me to become much more social than I thought I was capable of. It's extremely fulfilling to be a friend to the quiet students in the program.

What’s your favorite movie?

Pride and Prejudice, 2005. It's my absolute favorite movie of all time. I could talk about it all day—the symbolism, the costumes, the script, and the cast are simply amazing. I watch this movie at least once a month. The obsession is so strong that I've started quoting the movie as I watch it because I've basically memorized it.

What is your major and what do you like about it?

I am a Biological Sciences major. I originally chose this major thinking I would go to med school. That was the plan until my last quarter of freshman year when I fell in love with research and lab work in a general chemistry lab. I changed my life plans but not my major. I've always had a fondness for biology because I think the human body is a fascinating phenomenon, so choosing bio was a no-brainer.

What’s your favorite place on campus?

There is a rooftop on one of the campus buildings that some friends and I discovered during our freshman year in Middle Earth. We would go to that rooftop and overlook the view of Ring Road and Aldrich Park. It was so amazing that I truly could not explain it in words. We would go on late-night walks to the rooftop to get our minds off college stress.