ACE Talks:

WHAT: Short, ~15 min “Ted Talks” to highlight our unique stories and diverse backgrounds beyond our professional roles.

WHO: Us.  Advisors, Staff.

WHY: Our stories are Powerful and deserve dedicated space to share and honor them.  

TESTIMONIAL:   Why does any of this matter? I went in with the expectation that I’d conquer my fear of public speaking and I might maybe remove some barriers or demystify expectations of getting help from staff and faculty counseling and normalizing our own mental health struggles. But I came out of it realizing that my voice has value, as is, in any space. And yours does too. At the end of the day, we are just hoping to connect with each other through story and narrative and provide a safe, supportive space for us to practice connecting and building narratives for a time when we might need to tell a different, compelling story to advocate for ourselves or our programs.  -Alina Avila nee Haas, Jan 2020 ACE TALKS presenter

Have you ever felt you had something to say that would’ve made a difference, but weren’t sure how to phrase it?  Is the thought of telling a personal story intimidating?  Do you have no topic at all but are interested in brushing up on your presentation skills?

Our hope is for the ACE community to connect through love, warmth, humor, and respect to inspire personal and professional growth.  We hope that participants are able to shift their perspective to see their story and create a narrative that celebrates and brings us together.

TESTIMONIAL: One of my professional development goals I had during the 22-23 academic year was to improve my public-speaking skills. The ACE talk was pivotal in my professional growth as it provided me the platform and coaching to do just that. I did the ACE TALK during my first year as an AAP College Counselor, so it also gave me a platform to introduce myself to the academic counseling community at UCLA. I have recently been accepted into UCLA’s Professional Development Program, and I was able to write about my experience with ACE TALKS. I believe that my participation in ACE TALKS ultimately strengthened my PDP application.

My advice to staff members—especially academic counselors— who are considering doing an ACE talk but are perhaps nervous about applying is that it is a great learning opportunity with structured and intentional support. As academic counselors we are often in a position where we are encouraging our students to grow and learn so why wouldn’t we do that for ourselves too?   — Asbeidy Solano, May 2023 ACE TALKS presenter

HOW WILL ACE SUPPORT YOU?

Ready to tell your story?  Reach out to Alina & Kelsey at ace@college.ucla.edu.

Not sure, but you’d like to talk more about it?  Reach out to Alina & Kelsey at ace@college.ucla.edu.

Is there a staff member on campus that inspires you and you’d like to nominate them for us to approach to tell their story?  Reach out to Alina & Kelsey at ace@college.ucla.edu.

We’d love to hear from you!

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