I Am a Native Turlockian.

Growing up in Turlock means that I don’t ever remember a time when Stanislaus wasn’t in my zeitgeist.

“The college” has always only referred to one single, special, place. Summer fireworks shows, high school band performances, Shakespeare in the park, bikeathon fundraisers, Pokémon Go events and more all centered around one big grass, water, bird, and student filled campus.

I Am Creative.

Just before sitting down to write this post I received an email informing me that I had been accepted into the writer’s workshop held by Penumbra, the organization that runs our local Literary Art Journal, an opportunity that was given expressly to Stanislaus students.

I performed saxophone concertos at the yearly Solo Ensemble Festival from 2010 to 2016, held at Stanislaus campus and judged by the many great local musicians the Central Valley has to offer.

I’ve seen utterly fantastic drama productions at Stanislaus’ black box and main stage theatres, from the hilarious Boeing Boeing to the perfectly articulated and culturally important Silent Sky.

I Am a Student.

I have strived to be a good student and to focus more on learning knowledge than on achieving grades (a goal which, in my experience, breeds good grades as well). And I think that as a result of that, my experience with Stanislaus’s Communications Studies department has been exemplary.

Teachers, advisors, and counselors all recognized the effort I put in and poured that effort back into me. Some of them fundamentally changed how I view the world and I am better because of it.

I Am a Son.

My lovely parents made it clear that they would support me regardless of the life path I chose post high school. And yet I still felt the drive to achieve, to make them proud not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

Stanislaus Dean’s Lists, internship opportunities, and education all paved the way and showed me how I could excel in my studies in the way parents want their children to do, all while being able to stay close to home.

I Am a Friend.

Stanislaus’s club rush and dozens of groups from AdvoCATS to International Studies programs create hundreds of avenues for finding community. In my few years studying at Stanislaus I’ve found everything from a Dungeons and Dragons group to roleplay with, a group of people across the country I’ve met and studied abroad with, and a bunch of equally nerdy people to sit around and write novels every November with.

Stanislaus metaphorically and literally opened up my eyes to the diversity and sheer number of amazing people to befriend, network, and learn from.

I Am Stan State.

As much as I’d love to puff out my chest and say that I became all of those things by myself, it’d be a blatant lie. I am who I am because of my family, friends, and college.

The people I’ve met through my studies at Stanislaus whether they be faculty, students, mentors, or friends have enriched my life and helped me become who I am today. And I’m certain that in two, five, ten, or fifty years later I won’t be able to look back and separate my college experiences with who I became in life.

I am Stan State as much as I am Nathan.

 

This post was made in cooperation with the I Am Stan State event. To hear more student stories, perspectives, and ways that CSU Stanislaus has enriched lives follow @stanadmissions on Instagram, read the other Student Blogger pages, and keep your ear to the ground to hear about more opportunities!