Livin’ La “Pura Vida”: Lauren Young, UC Davis Rep for Pura Vida Bracelets

A few years ago, two friends graduated college and decided to take to Costa Rica on a surfing trip. What started as a congratulatory vacation turned into a business start-up when they met Jorge, a village local, who made bracelets to sell to natives and tourists alike. The two friends loved the bands and made a proposition to Jorge: make 400 bracelets, they’ll purchase them, and sell them in the states. The bracelets became viral in Cali, and soon the two friends had contracted with Jorge. Now the company sells, on average, 3000 to 4000 of these bracelets each week –a big change from the previous sale 3-to-4 bracelets per week Jorge originally maintained.

Enter Lauren Young -a UC Davis senior- into this surfer’s Kumbaya tale.

 She became the Pura Vida campus rep after viewing the opportunity posted on the website while browsing for yet another bracelet to add to her heavily-accesorized wrists. “Obsessed” does not even glean the adoration Young has accumulated towards these bracelets: since her work for Pura Vida began, she has organized for the brand to be sold in the UC Davis bookstore and has pedaled traffic towards the PV website, where many of her fellow Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sisters and club water polo team members have purchased merchandise. As an active Davis collegiette™ with an appreciation for culture and nature, –eminent the moment I sat down to speak with her- Lauren Young describes each personalized bracelet produced by Pura Vida as the “perfect method of self expression.”

While interviewing Lauren, one of her friends stopped by, also sporting a Pura Vida bracelet. Was I surprised? Well…yes! due to the fact that this friend was male. I admitted to Young that I was surprised to see a college boy wearing her bracelet –she reciprocated by being surprised at my surprise! Apparently, these bracelets are equally as popular among males as they are collegiettes™. After more research, I found out some of my guy friends proudly sported Pura Vidas; when asked if I could photograph them, they proudly threw up a peace sign, thrusting their wrists into the limelight.

Who else is wearing Pura Vida? Michael Jackson’s children, Paula Abdul, the Modern Family cast, even the models in the Spring Victoria’s Secret catalogue (who knew I would be able to relate to Miranda Kerr?)!   

Lauren’s personality is vivacious, as is the personality of each Pura Vida bracelet. One by one, she displayed each band–not one single bracelet replicated another, one aspect of Pura Vida that differentiates their brand from every other.

A “kickback to friendship bracelets” as Young states, ownership is much more fulfilling than any other piece of jewelry. “Raw” and “colorful” is how Young perfectly pin-pointed the character of each accessory. The brand’s ability to capture the naked beauty of nature and share that with every owner is why we deem these bracelets “Her Campus at UCD Approved!”

“I’m reminded to live each day completely, appreciate it, and not take anything for granted, all by looking down at my wrist,” Young explains. Pura Vida could not have picked a better campus rep for UC Davis than Lauren Young: a dynamic collegiette™ spreading the word about living the pure life with a little help from the personalized, colorful, and increasingly (thanks to Lauren) popular Pura Vida bracelets.