The Road so Far
Attending college was always a given, there was no question about it. I would attend college after graduating high school, my older brother didn’t attend college thus it was on me to become the first college graduate of the family. At times, this felt like a heavy burden on my shoulders because so much was expected. I knew that when it came time to choose what college I would attend during the fall, it would be one that was far away from home so that I wouldn’t have to feel that heavy burden as much.
Determined to leave California, I applied to a lot of schools on the east coast. Staying in California was the worst case scenario for me. Once the acceptances started rolling in, I was certain I was going to be living on the east coast by that time next year. My high school administration had made everyone apply to UC’ and CSU’, I didn’t really pay much attention to those acceptances nor did I mind when I got rejected from one UC. I knew I wasn’t going to stay in California, or so I thought.
Around late March I got a call from some students at UCSC asking me If I would be interested in a 3 day and 2 night all expenses paid trip to visit the school. I was really intrigued by the idea so I said yes and I got an application to fill out. The idea of leaving home to see a school seemed pretty cool to me even though it was a school that I wasn’t really considering at all. A couple weeks later I got another call from a UCSC student informing me that I had been accepted to the program. I was really thrilled, more about missing school but nonetheless I was thrilled.
I was set to leave San Diego at 4am on a friday morning. Right away I became friends with one other girl. We both chatted all throughout our trip up north. Once we got to Santa Cruz, I was intrigued by the change in scenery, it was completely different then San Diego. When we got off the bus, UCSC students greeted us and took us to eat.
The program was intended to be for underrepresented students who also came from low income households. I later learned that they had hundreds of kids apply and only 40 got the opportunity to get accepted into the program, I was one of the lucky students.
All through the weekend we attended workshops that focused on social justice and about the marginalization of Hispanics all while bonding with all the other students. I learned so many things that weekend, things I had never heard before. I felt as if I was looking at the world in a completely different perspective than the previous perspective I arrived to Santa Cruz with. That weekend I met so many amazing people, people I talk and hang out with to this day. I really cannot imagine what my life would have been like if I had not attended that program. That program showed me what the school was all about.The first thing I did when I got home from my trip was accept my acceptance to UCSC.
It’ crazy how I remember that I didn’t want to go to a UC much less stay in california yet here I am at UCSC. I honestly couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.