Dear UCSD…
“Part of the journey is the end.”
Around this time 11 years ago, I was 17-years-old packing up to go to college and move away from home for the first time. I might as well have been packing to Narnia with how much that transpired since then. In March 2013, UC San Diego sent me an email that would change the trajectory of my life forever. I had been accepted to (what I didn’t really internalize in the moment) one of the top institutions in the world. At the time, it was a consolation prize because Stanford had other plans, but it slowly began to evolve into a decision for the ages. I still remember the shock at Bishop Montgomery High School, when the [Black] kid who had been accepted to UC Berkeley and UCLA, chose to go to UC San Diego?!?
Fast forward to September 2013, I had fully moved into Marshall U-Building, and got my first Blackening on campus, walking around the suite and realizing not a single other Black person lived on that floor (Shout out to Cam downstairs though). I have people like Ashley, Arielsela, Andre, and Brilon to thank for making such a big institution feel a lot smaller, by getting to know other Black people on campus. Ashley walked all the way from Sixth to Marshall (before they were neighboring colleges) to hang out, Arielsela went with me to my first BSU meeting, Andre took on my Class of 2017 2k challenge, and Brilon… if y’all only knew how much of a big sister she was for me during that transition time, and continues to be to this day. I found my home away from home in the Matthews Apartments (Queen Jazzy's domain. I can’t keep y'all here all day talking about Jazzy) home of the wall of clown shit (among other infamous walls), people braiding hair, Alexis’ red beans & rice on the stove, and Flavor of Love on the TV. Those are the things I look back on most fondly when I think about finding community on campus. Black Women made my experience at UCSD. Out of every single job I had throughout 11 years on campus, a Black Woman was my direct supervisor, with the exception of my stint in Psychology for a year. I can’t tell my story without telling the stories of Black Women leaders, friends, femtors, and advocates that have crossed paths with mine.
Needless to say, not everything was sunshine and roses during that first 4 years on campus. The Blackening kept happening and happening… from protests, to demonstrations, micro and macroaggressions, imposter syndrome, being Black on that campus (and most college campuses) taught me many life lessons. Luckily, I eventually found my next home on campus at the Black Resource Center. The BRC was a consistent stop, multiple times a day, any day it was open. Stacia and Porsia were familiar voices of wisdom, guidance, and reassurance that I could be a beast at UCSD. I became an intern for them in 2015, and that is when the growth really took off. I brought Black artists to campus through Flexin’ My Expression, sat in numerous high-impact meetings with administrators trying to better campus for Black students to come, and just was getting my hands dirty, helping anyone that asked, and many who didn’t, just in the spirit of community.
I obviously came to college to get a degree, and am leaving campus with 2 of them, but my time on campus was so much more than that. When I was preparing for college, I had no idea what I wanted to study. I had no idea what I wanted to be “when I grew up.” Once I realized people would never stop asking me until I figured it out, I drafted a standard response was that I just wanted to make an impact and help people. Mission accomplished.
My first day as a full-time employee at UC San Diego was August 14, 2017. 7 years later, I am penning this as I have accepted a new position at a new institution to continue my professional career. People have asked me if I am “sad” about leaving, and I honestly struggle to find sadness in any of it. The relationships I have fostered during my time on campus extend far beyond being physically present there. Nostalgia will always have its place, but my roots needed a new pot - I know I still have plenty more flowers I need to bloom, and unfortunately, it could no longer happen in La Jolla.
If any one student learned any one thing from me during my time at UC San Diego, I hope it was that anything is possible on that campus if you want it enough, and tell the right person. I hope that even if they don’t know my full UCSD story, they know that I checked every corner, pulled up a chair at every table I could, and earned a level of respect on that campus that still has me in awe to this day.
I am the cockiest humble person you will ever meet, if you ever really get to know me. Throughout my time at UCSD, I told many people that I want a statue on campus. People laughed, and I wasn’t 100% serious, but I was 51%, and that is just because there are several humbler people I personally know who deserve that statue first.
Even if I never get that statue, when people ask you about people you know from UCSD, at least tell them the story about the kid from Gramercy Place who had no idea what he was going to do in college, but did it all anyway.
