I am Lisa, a 2011 alumni of El Cerrito High School. I am currently studying for my Bachelor’s degree for Computer Engineering at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. After a few weeks of being here at Cal Poly, my nervousness has gone away by now. My transition to this college was fairly smooth. During the summer, I attended a summer program called the Summer Institute, or known as SI for short. SI was a six unit, three week course that involved in a lot of bonding activities. Everyone was low-income, we had similar classes together, and I might have even found a new best friend! These three weeks passed by so quickly and I had a blast. I was able to grasp that studying is important, but not without having fun.
Just when I thought SI allowed me to become ready once fall quarter starts, there was also the Week of Welcome, or known as WOW, for first year and transfer students. While SI was academic based, WOW was just pure abundance of fun and laughter. WOW showed me that I can have fun without drinking. We went indoor rock climbing, kayaking, and even to the beach; we saw presentations about diversity, alcohol, and being responsible is important. This was week amazing because everyone in the group lost their “cool card” by the end of the week and we got close to each other.
With this SI and Week of Welcome in mind, I was able to hit the ground running, knowing that I can study and have fun at the same time. So far, as of September 28, 2011, my first two weeks of the fall quarter has been treating me fairly well. I am currently taking fifteen units and my classes are Calculus III (4 units), English (4 units), Introduction to Computing (4 units), Computer Engineering Orientation (1 unit), First Year Seminar (1 Unit), and a Calculus III Workshop (1 unit). I still believe that I have some adjusting to do in terms of sleeping, studying and determining what I should give priority for, such academic programs and clubs but I believe that I have what it takes for Fall 2011.
– Lisa, Cal Poly SLO ’15
