This past summer, Zoila spent several weeks at the University of California, Berkeley, and the experience clearly left an impression on her. She lived in Bowles Hall, the oldest dorm on campus, which she describes as looking like Hogwarts—beautiful and historic. Zoila shared the dorm with one roommate she grew very close to, and together they built a strong sense of community with others in the building.
During her stay, Zoila took two college-level courses: Environmental Design and Ancient Roman History. It served as a great preview of college life, since all of her classmates were regular UC students. Outside of class, she met people from China, Taiwan, and California, and as the only person from the South, many found her background interesting.
She often took the BART metro into San Francisco. Overall, Zoila’s summer at Berkeley was an eye-opening and inspiring experience that gave her meaningful friendships and a glimpse into what college life could be like.
