Ojai Valley School alum Carter Hsu and his closest friends sat back and let out a breath.
After hours of labor, the final box had been fully unpacked. At that moment, in his on-campus apartment at the University of Washington, it finally hit Carter– he made it.
He was finally at his college.
Due to Covid-19, many students from the class of 2020 were unable to attend their colleges in person for their freshman year. However, those perseverant students didn’t let the circumstances discourage them.
The wait only made them more thrilled to finally be at their school.
“This year, I hope I can strive academically and meet new people,” Carter said.
Carter’s former classmate, Caspian Ellis, also had her college experience delayed because of Covid. She wasn’t discouraged by the time away either. Caspian jumped into the school year with enthusiasm that was echoed by her professors and peers.
Right now, she’s a sophomore at UC Davis and is part of their distinguished equestrian team. She lives off-campus with several of her teammates.
Caspian went on campus tours and attended information sessions with her classmates so she wouldn’t miss out on any opportunities to be involved. The campus is as social as ever, all the students are friendly and welcoming, and sports events are full of students eager to cheer on their school.
“I’m excited for the year ahead. I know that even though it is a little hard to navigate right now,” Caspian says.
OVS alum Angela Qu is also figuring out how to navigate campus life at the smaller Boston College with the help of her friendly peers.
“When you walk around campus you see a lot of people and you know like a lot of them,” she remarks.
Angela has made lots of friends at Boston College despite being online for her freshman year. She participates in the Chinese Student Association (CSA) and is on the dance team.
Angela has been a dedicated member of CSA since last year. CSA organizes fun bonding events and fundraisers for Chinese students to help them maintain their cultural identities while overseas. She’s also a passionate dancer, which is why she jumped at the chance to join the team and perform with them this year.
Alongside these club commitments, Angela is majoring in computer science. This year, she hopes to be able to better balance her social and academic lives. She knows her friends and professors will be right there beside her to push her to be her best self.
“That’s the good side of the small school- you get to be close with a lot of people,” Angela says.
Carter’s college has over three times the amount of students as Angela’s school, which is just what this social butterfly of a student needed.
Carter first set foot on the campus of the University of Washington as a student at the end of this summer. He knew from the moment he got there that he had chosen the right school. The loud and lively campus is home to friendly professors and a variety of clubs where Carter has met some of his new friends.
Carter is ready to face this year and experience his college – and his life – from a different perspective.
“Most importantly, I hope I can realize what I want here with my major and my friends,” he said.