San Diego from an outside view

USD students who come from out-of-state discuss their experiences in San Diego

Paulina Sierra / Opinion Section Editor / The USD Vista

While senior Brandon Orzolek considers himself a southerner, growing up in Yorktown, VA, four years ago he found himself applying to college in an entirely other south; southern California.

“I ended up at USD because they offered me the best financial aid package of all of the schools I applied to,” Orzolek said. “Additionally, I have family in San Diego, so despite moving all the way from Virginia, I would have a little bit of a home-base support system if I needed it throughout my time here. Also, San Diego is beautiful! Who wouldn’t want to call this place home?”

For students applying out-of-state, the realities of adjusting to a new part of the country can be very challenging, and a lot of this has to do with several major aspects that make San Diego unique. To Orzolek, lot of it what has made San Diego stand out has to do with how big San Diego is.

“San Diego is a totally different place than Yorktown,” Orzolek said. “The obvious is that San Diego is a large city. You can do practically anything you want to do here. And if you can’t find what you want in San Diego, chances are you can find it two hours north in LA. Back in Virginia, you had to travel what was sometimes hours to get to where you wanted to go. Another difference is the lack of seasons and rain here. In Virginia, it rains all the time and there are clearly defined seasons. The culture here is also very different. It’s a lot more diverse and inclusive in San Diego than it is back home, which I can definitely appreciate.”

Orzolek also noted a difference in the people who live in San Diego, as he feels that San Diego is a lot more diverse than his hometown.

“In Yorktown, the ethnic composition is mainly black and white,” Orzolek said. “Growing up speaking Spanish, I came to San Diego and was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to get around speaking Spanish here, which is good practice. That being being, there are far fewer African Americans in San Diego than Yorktown which has been sort of a cultural shock. I was very used to things being a certain way. Even so, there’s far more diversity in San Diego in terms of large groups of other ethnoracial groups which has exposed me to many cultures I might not have been exposed to had I not moved to San Diego. I’m greatly appreciative of this because it allows me to broaden my understanding of culture and the unique challenges and struggles experience by each group.”

While Orzolek enjoyed the difference in population, he also noted a disparity in the overall culture and personalities of San Diegans when he arrived here, and this difference is something he still struggles with.

“People in Virginia are a lot more traditionally ‘Southern,’” Orzolek said. “That is, you’re familiar with all the people that work in your neighborhood and you’re very friendly with people regardless of whether or not your personally know them. It’s not the same in San Diego in that regard. It’s a lot more challenging to get to know people and sometimes I’ve struggled with what seems like people being cold-hearted out here. I definitely miss ‘Southern hospitality’ and familiarity with people in your area.”

Emma Moran, class of 2018, noted a difference in culture not with San Diego as a whole, but between the specific culture of USD as it compares to Seattle, which made her undergraduate career difficult.

“I don’t know if I noticed a difference between SD and Seattle personalities, but I noticed huge differences in USD vs. Seattle personalities,” Moran said. “I was always told that college was a place where you could be your authentic self, no matter how niche or unique that is. At USD from the very beginning I felt it was discouraged and anything ‘odd’ made you an outsider rather than an interesting person. For example, I did pre-orientation and bonded more with the guides than the other participants because of this. The level of superficiality on the campus was astounding and inescapable. Like many young women, I’ve struggled with body image, but had pretty good self esteem by the time I left high school. USD ruined that with a population that seemed obsessed with a singular type of beauty.”

While students are given the opportunity to learn about San Diego when they come to USD, often times they do not get a clear picture of it. Since campus life is the main way most students come into contact with San Diego, some students can begin to associate San Diego culture with the specific type of culture that exists on-campus.

Moran feels as though she never truly understood the culture of broader San Diego because her interaction with it was so limited, due to how involved she was in USD and how expensive San Diego could be.

“I think I got a taste of San Diego, but by no means would call myself an expert,” Moran said. “I believed the lie admissions tells that you can get around SD without a car or a close friend with one, so I didn’t have a car my first three semesters. It was so expensive to leave campus for more popular spots.”

While Moran knew about the immersion opportunities that USD offered students that would allow them to get to know more parts of the city, Moran chose to abstain because she felt they were not holistic views of the community.

“I didn’t have a reason to spend time in lots of the communities, especially those south and east of USD,” Moran said. “I don’t think doing some of the trips that USD offered would give an accurate representation of these communities, either, because the relationship USD has is almost nonexistent and when it does exist, it’s so transient it doesn’t benefit the communities, just USD. I didn’t think it was fair to the places I would be occupying the time and resources of to meet them on those terms. I preferred to get involved in outside communities through activism led by members of those communities.”

Moran, since graduation, spent the summer in Atlanta, Georgia to work as an intern at the Georgia Aquarium, and is now living in Utah while engaging in another internship. Because of the career path Moran chose, she never anticipated ending up in San Diego, or being able to predict where she will land in the future.

“I’m currently in the zoo/aquarium field, which basically requires people to move wherever they can find a position,” Moran said. “I knew I wanted to do this coming in to college, so I knew it was unlikely I would stay in San Diego.”

Sophomore Konner Brackin came from Flagstaff, Ariz. to USD in order to grow more as a person.

“I had a lot of options to choose from as to where I was going to go for college, but I narrowed it down to California schools, because they were closer to home,” Brackin said. “I eventually chose USD because of the small community here, and everyone who is on the campus made it feel so welcoming, and this was what I experienced from a campus tour.”

Similarly to Moran, Brackin doesn’t intend to stay here after graduation, but this decision has nothing to do with San Diego itself, but with the same desire to keep moving and learning that brought him to San Diego in the first place.

“After I receive my undergraduate (degree), I do intend to leave San Diego to attend law school, but I wouldn’t be opposed to go to law school at USD,” Brackin said. “However, if I get accepted to somewhere else, I’d go there. Not that there’s anything wrong with San Diego, but it continues my growth if I go somewhere else.”

Regardless of his intention to leave after graduation, Brackin still wants to expand his awareness of what San Diego is like beyond the limits of USD.

“When I first moved here, I thought I had a perception of San Diego, but everyday I learn something new, by listening to community representatives, or seeing new parts of town,” Brackin said. “As of right now, I still don’t think I have a perception about San Diego, but I am determined to explore more of it.”

While San Diego is not a perfect place for everyone long-term, it is home to 5,757 USD undergraduate students, and it is important for students to understand the city in its entirety, and engage in it without losing the cultural identities and personalities that are uniquely formed from the places they grew up in and still call home.