California college freshmen find alternatives to campus life in a virtual world
Above: First year University of California, Berkeley student Ian Wong mountain climbs on down time with a small group from his campus.
They mourn missing out on the college life
By
December 22, 2020
When Kaelynn Kuang pictured being in college, she didn’t just imagine lecture halls and living in dorms.
She wanted to join the honor society and Asian American student alliance at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
This is part of a continuing series on how California college freshmen are facing a disrupted start to their college careers.
Michael Loyola
“The Filipino club has united me with other college students with the same cultural background as me.”
Sammy Lemus
Gladys Ocampo
“I want to take a gap year if we still can’t return to campus, because it’s not really the same learning”
Itzela Tafolla
As an incoming college freshman, Itzela Tafolla imagined California State University, Long Beach would be a fun and exciting and safe place to be. She hoped that her campus community would be welcoming. And bonus: She would get away from home and spread her wings in her own way and fashion for the first time in her tender life.