USD Glowups: Seniors face their first-year selves

With graduation nearing, USD seniors reflect on the people they used to be four years ago 

Taylor DeGuzman/Arts & Culture Editor/The USD Vista 

Many enter their first year of college bright-eyed and bushy-tailed: eager to make friends, reinvent themselves, go to college parties, fall in love, get straight A’s, and become the best version of themselves. Those four years of college fly by faster than anyone could ever imagine. 

The first-year at USD who once knew no one for the first two weeks of school is now a senior who has plans every day until the end of the semester to catch up with every single best friend they made. The first-year who entered college with a significant other that was weighing them down is now a senior who is single, thriving, and planning their backpacking trip in Europe after graduation. The first-year who swore they would transfer to their dream college the next year realized USD was their dream college, they just had to give it time. 

When some USD seniors now look into the mirror, they can’t recognize their reflection — not because they physically look different from freshman year (who are they kidding they look absolutely different), but because the person they were four years ago is much different than the person that is about to walk across that stage for graduation. 

The “Glow Up” is real. 

USD seniors reflect on the person they were freshman year and how much they’ve glowed up. 

Nicky Roferos 

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“Today I am confident, care-free, and loving life. Freshman year I remember being so timid and scared of what everyone would think of me, but you learn as you grow up that that is no way to live,” USD senior Nicky Roferos said. “I’m happier when I don’t have to inhibit my true self.” 

As a first-year, Roferos dreamed that he would become president of an organization; little did he know he would make that dream a reality. He achieved his dream by becoming the president of USD’s Medical Brigades organization, but it took a lot of hard work to get there. He was previously education chair, then co-vice president, and then finally became co-president. 

When looking back at the culmination of his USD “glow up,” Roferos realized how much he grew as a person. 

“I think my biggest glow up would have to be my outlook on life. I don’t take things super seriously anymore and am so much more stress-free,” Roferos said. “If I could tell my freshman self anything it would be not to stress too much on grades and just focus on the memories you could make with friends.” 

Roferos was recently accepted into his dream doctorate program in Boston and he will “continue to celebrate every day” like it’s his last. 

Alex Retodo 

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“Today I am self-assured, intelligent, passionate, and enthusiastic,” USD senior Alex Retodo said. “I would like to think I was the same as a freshman, but I have most certainly improved in my confidence and I’ve become really in tune with my emotions and how to express them.” 

Retodo came into college with very little assumptions of what college life would be like and for that reason USD exceeded “any and every expectation” she could ever have. 

“College is whatever you want it to be, if you put in the effort to make friends, be involved, do well in school, and enjoy then you will. It is completely, 100% up to you,” Retodo said. “I think I can definitely say I have met the best people here in college who will be lifetime friends.”

Retodo feels eternally grateful for everyone who crossed paths with her and now continues to illuminate her life. 

“Whether it be my roommates, my closest circle of friends, my Kappa Delta sisters and Kappa Delta family, fellow tour guides and coworkers, I have built such a tight-knit web of support of people who constantly inspire me, and who I know I can call on now and for the rest of my life and what is to come,” Retodo said. 

Retodo has most definitely made her mark on USD; she’s the kind of person with a soul and beaming smile that everyone is immediately drawn to. She is just as bright as her future and has aspirations to continue to shine even after USD. 

Mark Bautista 

“Today I am no longer scared to say what is on my mind and I don’t have to really rely on others to feel confident. As cliche as it sounds, I learned to love myself and be my biggest supporter,” USD senior Mark Bautista said. “I have become an individual that I think Mark from four years ago would be so proud of.” 

Bautista described the person he was as a first-year as someone who was shy, unconfident, and a huge people pleaser. For the most part, he focused on being accepted by everyone, which ended up taking a big toll on him. However, with the help of his mentors, friends, and the people he chose to surround himself with throughout college, he became the person he was always meant to be. 

With the overarching goal to “just be himself,” Bautista saw an opportunity to “start over” instead of faking it, and in the end, he found himself surrounded by the most authentic and genuine people. 

“I think the biggest thing that really came from this goal of mine was being able to develop my identity as a Filipino American which I never thought I would be so proud of when I first came to college,” Bautista said. 

Bautista recognized his “glow up” throughout his four years at USD. 

“I definitely had a glow up. Freshman year, my style, my hair, my look, all of it was WACK. I don’t wanna toot my own horn, but I think quarantine has given me the chance to really work on myself as well. I created my own morning and night skincare routines, and I am glowing, to say the least. I work out every day, and I’ve lost 50 pounds since last summer,” Bautista said. “Aside from my physical ‘glow up,’ I’ve also glowed up mentally and professionally. I know what I wanna do in life and have really made goals that I am constantly striving to achieve.” 

Bautista offered the most valuable lesson he learned. 

“Throughout college, I think the only thing that really changed was how I defined what this new chapter was and what it would entail — and I think that was just being open to plot twists because you never know what’s to come; it’s all about being open to change, being adaptable, and evolving alongside all the surprises that life has in store for us,” Bautista said. 

Bautista is the kind of person with a quiet confidence about him that makes you instantly drawn to him. His smile can light up an entire room no matter what, which makes it so easy for others to love him. He will continue to light up every room he enters just by being himself. 

Tatum Garrison   

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“Today I am hard-working, intelligent, independent, and confident,” USD senior Tatum Garrison said. “I think for the most part I am pretty close to who I was freshman year, but I really grew to be more comfortable in my skin and confident in my abilities and what I want to accomplish with life.” 

The one goal Garrison kept in mind since her first year at USD was to push herself out of her comfort zone and try new things. 

“I definitely think I accomplished that goal,” Garrison said. “I studied abroad in Madrid, I worked at a kayak shop in La Jolla for two years, and I have so many other memories with people that were spontaneous and so much fun.” 

USD exceeded all of Garrison’s expectations — she realized that it was always up to her to make the experience whatever she wanted it to be. 

“The choice is yours to make it the best four years of your life and cherish each and every day,” Garrison said. 

Garrison found her passion at USD, met her soulmates and friends for life, and made memories that will continue to remind her of the best four years of her life (so far).