Chapter 17
Callie walked through the front door and was immediately bombarded with questions and hugs from everyone, all wanting to know if she had found Brandon. It was the person who she had went on a quest to find that provided at least some of the answers when he walked through the door shortly after she did.
"Hey will you people give her a chance to breath." Brandon says with a smile on his face.
It takes all of about 20 seconds before he is engulfed in the same kind of hugs Callie had been getting just seconds ago. Callie stands to the side as she watches everyone greet Brandon. She releases a sigh and walks up the stairs to her and Mariana's room. She figures that Brandon needs to catch up with his family. She knows they will have time later to talk and maybe kiss some more. There is no hurry on her part they have the rest of their lives ahead of them.
Once she gets in the room she sees a pamphlet from UCLA laying on her bed, actually there is more than one. All of them talking about the courses she would need to become a social worker. She sits down and starts to read each one and then rereads them.
Psychology and Counseling
Welcome to the Department of Psychology! Here at UCLA, we present psychology as a scientific discipline that employs systematic methods of inquiry to study and explain human and animal behavior, both normal and abnormal, in terms of a variety of underlying variables, including neural, physiological, and cognitive processes; developmental factors and individual differences; and social and interpersonal influences and contexts.
The structure of the undergraduate curriculum has been designed to reflect the extensive breadth of psychology in terms of both the range of behavioral phenomena studied and the variety of methods and theoretical approaches employed, while allowing students to pursue in greater depth those areas in which they become most interested.
Beyond basic core courses, students can take many specialized courses in areas such as psycho-biology, animal behavior, learning and memory, motivation, perception, cognition, measurement, personality, and clinical, social, developmental, community, and health psychology. The curriculum also provides excellent opportunities for research experience, either in the form of laboratory courses or by participation with faculty and graduate students in a wide variety of research projects.
A choice of three undergraduate majors is offered: Psychology (B.A.), Cognitive Science (B.S.) and Psycho-biology (B.S.). While the majors overlap in certain fundamental and basic knowledge bases, they differ considerably in their focus (i.e., the extent to which certain areas of psychology and related disciplines are studied) and in terms of the different student interests and needs they satisfy. We also offer minors in Cognitive Science and Applied Developmental Psychology.
Sociology
We have the world's leading group of scholars studying international migration and its legacies, as well as arguably the strongest program in the study of ethnicity and nationalism, domestically and internationally.
We have an outstanding demography and stratification program, as attested among other ways by the exceptional placements of students in recent years.
We have long had one of the strongest programs in comparative historical sociology.
For more than three decades, UCLA has been the world's leading center for ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. We have one of the strongest faculty and graduate training programs in ethnography. And we have both quantitative and qualitative strength in the study of gender and in the study of culture.
These areas of distinctive strength only begin to capture the depth and diversity of the department.
Child Development
As an area of inquiry, Developmental Psychology concerns the emergence of behavior and knowledge in individuals and groups.
The Developmental Psychology graduate program At UCLA represents the breadth of the discipline, ranging from infancy to adolescence.
Students receive training in graduate level Cognitive, Social, Language, and Emotional Development. Our research, training, and coursework are united by three core themes Our programs of research examine human Development from infancy through young adulthood using a variety of laboratory-based (including behavioral and biological) and nationalistic techniques.
The goal of the program is to produce independent scholars, and incoming students are expected to become research-active quickly upon beginning the program. Support for student research is excellent. Students have access to the most advanced methods (including MRI, EEG/ERP, genetic, physiological, eye-tracking, school-based research, and cross-cultural field work in several countries) and resources for research in affective and cognitive neuroscience, perceptual and cognitive Development , language acquisition, family processes, peer influence and relationships, the study of culture and Development, and Developmental disorders.
Mathematics
UCLA Cal-teach-Math is an undergraduate program whose goal is to graduate annually 40 high quality, CA credential program-ready mathematics teacher candidates.
The program prepares undergraduates for careers in teaching mathematics through early field experiences, coursework focused on the mathematical and pedagogical knowledge necessary for teaching secondary school mathematics, career guidance, and professional networking activities. Program participants are eligible for up to $8300 in scholarships.
Political Science
Today the department is among the best in the country. The most recent ranking by the highly respected National Research Council ranks us nationally in the top ten.
Among the department's many strengths, we have gained notable distinction in political economy, comparative politics including the politics of developing nations, and political theory.
The department's greatest resource is its distinguished faculty. The faculty's teaching and research continues to put the program at the forefront of its field. The department's leadership in the field has recently been recognized by the arrival of the American Political Science Review, to be led by a collective editorship of department members.
In 2011 the department includes 50 faculty members, 10 emeritus professors, 4 visiting faculty, 42 teaching assistants and 13 support staff.
The department's primary goal remains focused on providing the best possible education for students seeking to develop an expertise in the field of political science by instilling solid skills in research and analytic reasoning. Political Science is the second largest undergraduate major at UCLA.
Then she found one she wasn't sure was in the right place till she read it. That is when understanding dawned on her. It was the mom's way to show her she could go to school and still be with Brandon, that is if she could only convince him that UCLA was a good place to go.
With a strong focus on the musical traditions of Europe and the international and American musical styles of the last century, UCLA's undergraduate program in music integrates the superb academic features of a major research university with intensive artistic study.
Music students have a range of performance opportunities throughout the year. In addition to participating in at least one of the department's more than 20 ensembles, all students specializing in performance present both junior and senior recitals and perform in the department's noon concert series, which often includes opportunities to solo.
Composition and Music Education students have a senior recital requirement. Student and faculty performances are held in the 528-seat Schoenberg Auditorium, the 133-seat Jan Popper Theater, and other venues on campus.
Among the Music faculty are masters from leading orchestras, such as principal musicians with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, first-call studio musicians, recognized composers, theorists, conductors, and scholars.
At any given time, students may study with prominent artists as well as a faculty that includes individuals of national and international repute. Currently, eligible students receive free private instruction.
The department's excellent facilities include numerous individual practice rooms equipped with pianos and organs; special studies for percussion, organ and electronic music and film scoring; a state-of-the-art media lab housing 20 interactive computer stations; performance teaching studios; and an early music studio.
Music Education
The UCLA Department of Music, in conjunction with the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education-the only music education program in the UC system.
Students can earn a California Subject Matter Waiver in music and complete their teaching credential during the senior year of undergraduate studies. The program prepares future music educators to teach in traditional school music programs, cultivates dispositions that encourage innovation and change in the profession, and nurtures socially responsible practices in the classroom and community.
This is the only music education program at a public university in California where it is possible to earn a teaching credential as part of a four year undergraduate degree program.
They had never really talked about it but she had done a little research on her own and knew the bast place for Brandon to go was Juilliard. She also knows it is in New York city. Which means if he goes there and she goes to UCLA they will be 2804 miles away from each other. Not exactly the best thing for their relationship. As hard as it may be to do she may have to let him go.
Go in more ways than one. The very thought has a tear rolling down her cheek. But she knows she can't hold him back, she has to let him be free and fly. If she doesn't he may grow to resent her some day. That would be harder to deal with than letting him go now. What is that saying? 'set something free, if it comes back to you then it is yours, if it doesn't it never was.' Maybe that is what she needs to do, set him free let him go live his dream.
Maybe hen one day he will return and she will know the true happiness that has always alluded her. Right now she is happy, but for how long? It will come down to them deciding where they want to go to school at. But if she is being honest with herself, shouldn't she help guide him to Juilliard? Isn't that where he has the best chance of learning to be a great musician? This was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done, but knew it was the right thing to do. Deciding on her course of action it was now time to let the mom's in on what she was thinking.
She gets up and walks down to the kitchen where every one was still talking. She smiles back at Brandon when he smiles at her. But she knows he sees a sadness in her eyes. She just hopes one day he will understand why she was going to do what she was going to do. Maybe one day he will also know just how hard it was for her to do it as well.
"Stef, Lena can I... um-ttalk tto yyou. In private." Calle says her nerves showing through her voice.
"Callie are you ok?" Brandon asks.
"Yes...no...maybe. I just need to talk to them, alone." Callie tells him.
"Ok sweets lets go out side in the back. No trying to ease-drop either you guys." Stef says pointing strait at Brandon. He holds up his hand like he knows it was directed at him, but also like he knows they know he may try.
The three of them walk out the door and walk over to the tree and the bench that is under it. The moms take a seat while Callie continues to pace back and forth in front of them. She is trying to get her words strait in her head before she speaks.
"Callie u are wearing out the grass. What is wrong, especially today of all day?" Lena asks.
"I am going to break up with Brandon." She starts.
"What?!" Comes the response from two throats at once.
"Why would you want to do that?" Stef asks.
"Sweetheart it seems to me that everyone knows you two are meant to be together but you." Lena says.
"I believe we belong together as well." Callie says.
"Then why break up?" Stef asks.
"This may sound stupid to you two, but I think if I don't he will grow to resent me." Callie says.
"What ok you are going to have to start making sense here Callie." Lena tells her.
"Ok let me try this a different way. If I asked Brandon to go to UCLA with me, what do you think he will do?" Callie asks.
"He would be there in a second Callie you know that." Stef says.
"Yeah I don't think he would even take a second to think about it." Lena adds.
"That is why I need to break up with him. We all know he should be going to Juilliard, not UCLA. And I don't want to be the person who stands in the way of his dreams. But I also know that long distance relationships don't work. So I would rather cut him loose so he can go do what he has to do, so that maybe one day we will find our way back to each other. Then we can work on our forever. I know it may not make sense to people, maybe not even Brandon, but it does to me. I also know it is going to hurt him and that it will take him time to forgive me. I just hope that one day he can and does forgive me. I also hope against all odds we find our way back to each other." Callie tells them with tears falling from her eyes.
"I think you should talk to Brandon about this Callie. Let him make up his own mind on all of this." Stef says.
"I can't. If I do he will talk me out of it and himself into going to school where I go. I just want you two to know. So you can do what ever you think is right when I do this." Callie says looking down.
"What do you think we are going to do?" Stef asks, as Lena studies Callie and her body language.
"I don't know exactly." Callie say in a voice just above a whisper.
"Callie do you think we would send you away if you do this?" Lena ask.
"It is what I would expect." Callie pauses before she continues. "But I hope you will keep Jude. He deserves to be in this family."
"Callie there is nothing you can do that will make us send you away." Stef says.
"Callie you are a part of this family. It has nothing to do with you dating Brandon and everything to do with us loving you. We want you both to be here. So no sending you away will not happen." Lena says.
"Ok. I think I need to talk to Brandon now." Is all Callie says.
"Ok we will send him out." Stef says.
They move into the house and inform Brandon Callie would like to talk to him in the back yard. They send the other kids out for ice cream so they don't see the after math of what they know is coming.
"What should we do?" Stef asks.
"I am not sure. She has sound thinking in it all. I just don't think her plan is the right course of action." Lena says.
"So what we sit back and hope it all works out for the best?" Stef says as she sees Callie run away from Brandon as he stands there in stunned silence.
"I think that is all we can do." Lena says.
"The Moms said you want to talk to me?" Brandon asks.
"Yeah, look Brandon what I have to say, you are not going to like. So I am just going to say it fast and then I am going to go to my room." Callie says.
"Ok?" Brandon says.
"I am breaking up with you." Callie says and then bolts strait for the back door.
A/N: Don't hate me for this. but them being apart has to happen, at least for now. be patient and all will be reveled in the end. as always read and review. even if it is to tell me you hate me. lol