Stories

In this year’s sophomore ACE cohort, there are several students from the East Coast who have been adjusting to a West Coast way of  life here at Santa Clara University. Kate Richter, an economics and math double major, hails from Darien, Connecticut. She chose to come to sunny California not only for the weather, but also for SCU’s highly regarded business program. Although it is hard for her to be so far away from her family, she has bonded through shared experiences with many other East Coast students here and her time “has been full of spontaneous adventures, great friends, and playing on a nationally-ranked club lacrosse team.” Kate has also enjoyed her time in ACE so far, saying that it has given her “access and resources in order to lead in today’s evolving business world.” After college, Kate hopes to stay in California, work for a couple of years at a consulting firm, and then obtain a Master’s in Big Data Analytics.

Riley Moran, an accounting major, moved to SCU from Babylon, New York. He decided on Santa Clara University for several reasons, including the Silicon Valley environment, Jesuit education, and campus community. Although he was apprehensive about making the move at first, he has thoroughly enjoyed his ACE experience. One aspect of ACE that Riley finds particularly helpful is the Buddy Program because he has been able to utilize his Buddy as a resource for career advice. He also enjoys the “driven network of fellow students” that he can learn and grow with. However, a major adjustment that Riley has had to make is life without family, especially because he enjoyed growing up cooking and sharing meals together. He also claims that pizza and bagels are much better back at home. After graduating, Riley hopes to stay in the Bay Area and have a career in public accounting.

Veronica Lu, also an accounting major, joined the ACE Program all the way from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She committed to Santa Clara University because she wanted to “step outside of [her] comfort zone of the East Coast and explore what the Silicon Valley has to offer.” Although Veronica constantly misses her friends and family back home and has had to make an effort to meet people, she does not regret her decision to attend SCU. One aspect of the ACE Program that she enjoys most is meeting all of the “extremely talented and charismatic individuals” who have not only become her teammates in classroom settings, but also her friends. Ultimately, Veronica feels grateful for her opportunities in the ACE Program and believes that being so far from Philadelphia has made her a “more outgoing and welcoming individual.” After college, Veronica would like to work at a Big Four firm, either in Philadelphia or the Silicon Valley. She hopes to start in audit and then eventually make her way into consulting or industry.

Our ACE sophomores from the East Coast have all had very unique experiences and are extremely talented individuals. We wish them the best of luck as they continue their careers, whether that be in California or 3,000 miles away on the East Coast.