By Contributing Writers
Destiny Johnson, Jailene Paniagua, Abigail Ramos, Sydney Pate, and Tyler Williams
Students with various backgrounds, years and majors reflect on the life-changing-skills and perspectives they gained throughout their undergraduate college careers so far.
“I feel like the most valuable life lesson attending CSUSB, is that you can do anything. My family has no one that has gone to college and college gets hard. It’s hard sometimes, and I don’t always know what to do and who to ask, but I think that there is always an answer. If there is sometimes that I don’t know the answer to it, someone is going to eventually help me find the answer. The college has always taught me that if there is a will there’s a way.”
“My lesson would be the value I have experienced with hands-on learning. A lot of the programs (especially environmental studies) are very hands-on. We’re out in the field, we go on the nature reserve here on Badger Hill where we have a remnant patch that we actually use to get hands-on training that you wouldn’t get a regular university. I really feel that that is a great tool that we will then take to a future employer.”
“You have to put yourself out there in order to make friends and get noticed, otherwise you’ll be alone. I try to go to events. Now I talk to more people, and I feel like I did something throughout my day.”
“The most valuable lesson I’ve learned since being at CSUSB is probably time management. Getting to class on time, waking up early, eating breakfast and cooking – just the little things. Since I play basketball here, I was able to learn the importance of these things through a lot of my teammates showing me the ropes.”
“I think that college opens up an opportunity for people to be more open-minded to things. I don’t know if that’s a life lesson, but it has helped me be more accepting because I get to be around such a diverse group of people. I think my parents are a lot more conservative than me because they didn’t attend college and I think that kept them in a guarded headspace. They don’t really have the same principles that I have. “
“There’s a lot to do out there, like from my professor so far they have explored new cultures and stuff. It taught me to go out and learn more about other cultures other than mine. Not just cultures, but going out of your comfort zone in general, like I went into a costume shop, something that’s totally out of my comfort zone, I didn’t know I was gonna go and learn how to sew.”
“I learned to put yourself out there. There are so many things to experience. One regret I have is that I did not get to experience other cultures because I never studied abroad. I am a senior graduating after this quarter so I feel like I missed out. I’m first generation so I experienced more than my parents because they never went to college. I actually got accepted for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Track Scholarship so I leave for Chicago tomorrow actually. I’m really nervous but it’s me putting myself out there and networking with other professionals. ”
“Since I am an international student, I have made it an agenda to meet different people and learn from their perspective, their culture, and now they see the world. As far as academics, science is everywhere, but I came here to diversify my experience.”
“I’ve learned that someone else’s opinion about me is none of my business. It doesn’t really matter what people think of me. It matters what I think of myself. If I am focused on what other people think then, I am taking away from myself and the things I could be doing. Actually, the first day I left campus, someone said that I cut them off. Instead of going about my business, I rolled down my window and asked them what their problem was. The guy got off his motorcycle and punched me. Now I’ve learned that it is important to keep your window up.”
“I the most valuable lesson I have learned at Cal State would be time management. If you get behind on one class, you’ll be scraping to get by on the rest. Now I don’t procrastinate, I get things done. I plan and organize.”
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