After taking college courses in Portland and navigating grassroots politics in Montana, returning to Southern California via Occidental helped Sam find community and opened doors to exciting opportunities.
Returning to where it started
More than anything, I wanted to return to L.A. I had lived in the city for two years, working as a voice actor while earning my associate degree at Santa Monica College. Before transferring to Oxy, I was nervous about what I was going to do with my life in a broader sense. At the time, I was working as a field organizer for a political organization in Montana, which, while fulfilling in some ways, was also incredibly draining. I had a lot of apprehension about what my future was going to look like.
Oxy proved to be the perfect place to return to the city. It provided me with a varied liberal arts education where I could study different topics and themes while meeting interesting people with interests and perspectives different from my own. The smaller class sizes also created an environment where I could easily build relationships with my fellow students and professors that extended beyond the classroom.
Finding my community
Becoming part of the Oxy community has been incredibly rewarding. I quickly found that many people were more than willing to welcome me as though I had been going to school with them for years, and I never felt like an outsider. I think this is mainly because I made a concerted effort to involve myself in a variety of activities, including the Transfer Student Union, OLA (Occidental Labor Alliance), and Dance Production, just to name a few.
More recently, the theater community has really taken me in, which has been incredibly artistically fulfilling. To be honest, I didn't become close friends with everyone I spent time with during my first semester. But by consistently putting myself out there and embracing new experiences, I eventually found my people.
Now, when I'm walking through the quad, greeting familiar faces, seeing friends around every corner, and feeling completely at ease, I know I'm part of a living, breathing community that has fully accepted me.
You can do it too
Transferring to another college can be tough. In many ways, it can feel like you're leaving your old life behind and taking a gamble on something completely new. But one thing that's guaranteed at Oxy is that there are people here who are more than willing to accept you for who you are and what you bring to the table.
Finding those people can take courage, so I encourage you to take risks, try new things, and push yourself outside your comfort zone. You truly never know what might happen—or who you'll meet.