Stories

“I’m part of the LEAD scholars so I was able to move in early. We meet our CTW—critical thinking and writing— professor early and we also take an elective class of our choice. It ranges from humanities to chemistry, to religious studies. So I was able to get acquainted with college professors and academics. I’m excited. I always hear that the Santa Clara community is so strong, and people are just so nice. I really feel that. It’s not ambassadors or orientation leaders just saying that—they really mean it. I have felt so welcomed ever since I stepped on campus. The campus is absolutely beautiful. I'm in awe. Every time I walk out, there’s so many different places you can explore. There’s really a niche for everyone. If you’re into studying, there’s the library. It's an amazing library. The residence halls are amazing. And there’s so many opportunities to meet people of all different grade levels. I packed photos of my family. Even though I’m a California resident, I live about an hour, hour-and-a-half away. I want to be reminded of them and why I want to study and further my education. It's a great reminder. I'm a psychology major but I also hope to double major in public health and minor in religious studies. I really care about mental health and people’s emotions and feelings. Serving in different clubs in high school, I was able to translate that over. I’m super into emotions and feelings in the brain. So that's where the psychology part comes in. Caring about mental health and mental awareness is where that public health comes in. I’m super passionate about religious studies. My faith is so important to me.”