Recap: FASTatUCLA Winter Retreat
By Camille Ray and Ashi Gottumukkula
Dappled sunshine seeps through the trees, emblematic of Southern California’s irregular summerlike weather strikes. Blends of gold hues perfectly complement those clad in earthy greens and browns as people take their seats among a mosaic of vibrant picnic blankets. On the heels of a winter break characterized by long periods of time apart, the group’s unrelenting chatter echoed throughout campus.
On February 4th, members of all FAST committees gathered on the Dickson Court lawn for the annual winter retreat. Between the Earth-toned mood board and opportunities to mingle and game play, the event functioned as a way to bring team members together from both a fashion and community-building standpoint. Utilized by businesses across the world, corporate retreats serve as arranged occasions where executives and employees leave the corporate environment to find relaxing and rewarding ways to acknowledge the company’s hard work, build relationships and boost morale.
Styling by Esther Blum (@estherblumstyling)
With the new year in full swing, and with that, the promise of lots of exciting events and photoshoots, FAST Co-Director and fourth-year Marcus Vidaurri noted the importance of starting the quarter on the same page to ensure group excitement and organization continue to meet the club’s esteemed merit.
“Since FAST is so big, retreats like this are much needed spaces to just relax without any obligations,” Vidaurri said. “I also like that we have these organized times together because again, because there are so many of us, it’s easy to miss out on meeting some really cool people. It’s my third year in FAST and I still meet someone new every time.”
For the first hour of the event, everyone eased into the afternoon talking and getting to know each other should they have run into an unfamiliar face. As we all chatted about a variety of topics such as the Balenciaga controversy, whether metallic was ever actually “in” and the lacking pizza options, we got the chance to meet FAST member Janireth Lopez, a fourth-year in the modeling committee. Sharing a similar sentiment to Vidaurri, Lopez expressed the importance of retreats due to their unparalleled bonding qualities and the club’s innate ability to attract members with both “good vibes” and versatile backgrounds. Having the opportunity to learn more about her shared commonalities with others, Lopez also noted her desire to play more group activities similar to the fall retreat back in October.
Luckily for Lopez, the Director of Events Kaitlyn Xu moved on to the next phase in the retreat: games. The first scheduled activity consisted of pairs using their “telekinesis powers” to match poses based on a variety of phrases called out each round. From “putting on pants” to “playing video games” and “surfing” club members’ compatibility was put to the test.
Photo by Jacob Ursua (@jursuaphoto)
After several rounds slowly beating out the competition, Arash Dewan and Audrey Shen eventually emerged as victors. Describing his excitement after back to back ties in the final round, Dewan revealed that the duo had only just met, but that their shared win meant they were “100 percent bonded for life.” When asked for further comments, Dewan jokingly noted that “[Shen’s] gonna be in my will, maybe godmother of my children.”
Joking aside, Dewan and Shen’s budding friendship perfectly represents the overarching goal of corporate retreats: bonding with coworkers. By taking advantage of the allotted time away from logistical and business conversations, the duo extended their relationship beyond their committees and into personal spheres thereby enabling a more cohesive working environment.
Following the Dewan and Shen telepathic takeover, Xu introduced a new game in hopes of spurring a healthy debate in fashion subjectivity. While FAST members pride themselves on their fashion originality and cohesion, opinions were not restrained nor were they all in agreement with each other. Even so, the most exciting part about fashion remains the ability to fuse and disregard differing opinions to create an aesthetic most fitting to the person. In playing Xu’s trend game, it became clear that our different opinions regarding specific fashion decisions is what makes the group so dynamic and original.
Having completed the retreat itinerary, the Editorial team concluded the event by snapping a few pictures to capture the occasion, as well as praising the fashion highlights of the day. Considering the success of the event and the boosted morale for the rest of the year as a result, we hope to continue planning more events like the retreat for the future of FAST!