Student Reflection By Tia Dunbar
As a child, going outside of my neighborhood was not an option. If you wanted to travel somewhere you had to know someone who knew someone. I didn’t know many people but I knew I could get to know people by involving myself into different environments that I wasn’t used to and learn on my own to be more diverse with every ethnicity. Joining the East Oakland Youth Development Center has opened many opportunities for me and has also gave me the advantage to not only travel but to travel on college tours with piers. The Southern California College Tour has brought my interest about Cal Poly San Luis Obispo because of its diversity, beautiful weather, and easy access to resources.
Traveling to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was an adventurous trip. I seen a lot of land as we were on the road traveling to the campus. My first thought right there was that the school was going to be really country and full of white people. I believed it would’ve been very humid and empty like because today was a holiday. I was wrong. When we arrived to the campus I was amazed by the weather and how clean it was outside . I noticed a lot of athletes around campus working out and I also met a softball player that played on the Cal Poly team. Although we did not exchange numbers, I felt welcomed how she greeted herself to me even though I was apart of a college tour. Meeting the athlete at the college made me look at the other students more open and friendly because though she did not know me she was really polite and told me to enjoy the campus.
Our tour guide was very similar to the athlete I met. Our tour guide , Bryce Bell, was a former EOYDC alumni that was really excited about informing his college to our college tour. He showed us numerous places around the college such as the recreational center, where all the athletes and others would work out and the library that held all the books that students majored in. The books that I looked at were media and communications books that gave insight on personal stories from women in the media. According to one of the books that I browsed through It was factual that “people that read the book were prepared to start careers as broadcasting majors and were aware of any downfalls that can come across their pathway to success.” Other places our tour guide took us to were to the beautiful dorms that were cozy and roomy enough to fit two students. Lastly but not least he took us to the shopping centers that were very colorful and full of Cal Poly spirit !
Traveling to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo definitely gave me a growth mindset on how to take college seriously. It encourages me to finish high school strong so that I can be eligible and prepared for what college has in store for me. I am extremely excited for the opportunities EOYDC has exposed me to as a result of having been selected to participate on the Southern California College Tour . I would highly recommend applying to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo because of its school spirit, diversity of athletes and academic potential, which will result in an increase ability to strive for success.
-Tia
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