my college.
freshman: ft.
To say the least, living in the freshman dorm, FT, was always interesting. I met the people I still consider my best friends as I go into my 4th year. I will never be able to forget all of the memories and experiences that took place in my tiny little room or the incredibly slow and unreliable elevators. I was intimidated moving in, but I quickly knew that I had made the right choice by moving to California. Day by day, I felt that I could be truer to myself and my interests. From the weekend camping trips to Yosemite or Sequoia, to weekday lectures on campus, I fell in love with UCSB. While I would never chose to experience living in a place like FT again, I will forever be grateful for the experience it provided at the time. It was perfect. By the time freshman year was over, I had come out to all of my friends and felt that I had no longer had anything to hide. Living in the dorms was so dynamic and exciting all the time that sometimes...I even miss it.
sophomore: first house
Gaining independence from my parents and my life back home has been one of the greatest aspects of college for me. During my 2nd year, I leased my first house with my closest friends in IV. For the first time in my life, I had to learn how to be responsible for everything in my life. No more dinning halls = no more having food cooked for me. No more housekeeping in the dorms = me and my housemates were responsible for all the cleaning. There were new bills to pay all the time and random people always trying to come inside and use the bathroom (you know...typical IV behavior). This newfound independence allowed me to live what I see as the best year of my life in many ways. I grew even closer to my friends and gained much more self confidence during my 2nd year. I met my current, and first, boyfriend during this time and, overall, had a life changing year.
junior: changes & more changes
My junior year started with studying abroad in Auckland, New Zealand for 5 months. I met more amazing people and traveled to the most beautiful places I have ever seen during my time abroad. My favorite photos I have ever taken were taken in New Zealand (see more in the photography section of this site). The process of moving half way across the world to live with entirely new people after falling in love with Santa Barbara was not always easy, but I see the experience as entirely worth it. After New Zealand, and all the changes that came along with it, I only had one quarter an UCSB before even more change suddenly landed on the world with COVID. By the time I was finally feeling back on my feet in Santa Barbara again from being abroad, the rug was pulled out from under me during spring quarter. Thankfully, my amazing housemates made everything better than I ever could have imagined.
