By Amanuel Zeryihun
I will first and foremost take this time to show my gratitude towards 826 Valencia and all of the sponsors, workers, and people who have volunteered and continue to volunteer their effort and dedication for the development, advancement, and recognition of students' abilities, unique qualities, and backgrounds.
It was twelve AM and my first night at UC Santa Cruz had just begun. The sound of my father telling me that this was the first day of the rest of my life was still echoing in my mind as I walked with a group of my new friends through the thick forest that blankets a majority of the campus. We had all decided to get better acquainted with the campus and each other by taking a night stroll. A majority of my first night on campus involved deer sightings, friendly jokes, and the pure excitement of being in a completely different world. That excitement still lingers today. That night took a funny turn when my friends and I got back to our dorm at around two o'clock. One of my two roommates and I left to the restroom to get ready to go to sleep. By the time we returned to the dorm we were quite shocked to find out that our other roommate had left the room locked for some unknown reason. We would later find out that he left to go star-gazing! So here I am, my first night of college locked out of my own room because my roommate wanted to lay on some wet grass in the middle of the night and look at the stars. This thought would have angered me on any other occasion but I realized that this would be put into my bag of Random College events (which is purely a mental track of odd things that I might experience at UCSC). So I ended up spending the rest of my first night in college on the floor in a quad full of four other students.) I must say though that my mother wouldn't be happy with my fluctuating bed time!
As the days would pass by, I became more and more acquainted with my dorm-mates and my floor-mates. The people here are unbelievably kind and everyone seems to take pleasure in the simplicity of being in college (at least from the people I have encountered.) I have already met people from all over the world, managed to get chased by a mob of naked people after coming from the dining hall on the first rain, reconnected with old childhood friends, and engaged in long and deep conversations with other students about things such as religion, world affairs, and which dining hall serves the best food on campus. My college experience is becoming quite the experience.
I am taking three classes this quarter. They include physics, calculus, and a core writing course. So far I am doing well in these classes. Studying is a lot easier with fewer classes. It is also easier because I feel like I have more direction and understanding as to what I am working towards and where it is taking me. I am planning on studying Electrical Engineering and if all goes well I should be done after four years.
I can't help but feel blessed each day I wake up and look around my dorm, my classes, and the campus. I remember the story of my life, where I came from, and all of the selfless people that sacrificed their time, effort, and emotion into helping me and taking me to higher places. It is almost surreal when I remember the hard nights, the long days, and the difficulties that my family and I faced together. So I thank you once again 826 for your help in bringing me to this greater height and helping me achieve this milestone. It is only one milestone however and I know I have a long ways to go.
