Author: Celeste Mejia

What an unexpected ending to Winter Quarter … I can’t even begin to explain the chaos and uncertainty I’ve felt these past two weeks. Right now, I sit in my house fighting off allergies and I’m thinking back to last week – which feels like years ago – before schools and universities were closing.

Weirdly enough, I was messaging a friend about what would happen if UCI were to move to online. She was concerned that she would no longer have a job, and I naively thought I would be able to go to coffee shops and do some work with high school friends who would most likely come back. This was two hours before we received word from the Chancellor about the precautions being taken, and instructions to administrators to move everything online.

In a matter of a few short hours, I received emails from Professors, TA’s, and my other instructors all explaining they were immediately moving to ‘remote’ – meaning online – learning. It didn’t feel real. Here I was, a week away from finals, and there was a flood of emails from Professors scrambling to figure out whether finals would still take place. 

As I write this entry, I’ll let you know now that most of my finals were indeed cancelled, or made optional. But as a commuter living away from home, when all of this was taking place, I was focused on getting back safely and quickly. So I packed a few items to take with me to my last lecture the next morning, and made a plan: I would wake up early, get to class, and make it back to my home in the course of a few hours.

 It was one of the weirdest days of my life, and even now as the days pass, it doesn’t feel right.

I would have never imagined the progression of the current virus spreading, and I just sit here in wonder of when everything will be ‘normal’ again. This is life. So many unexpected twists and turns at any given moment. 

I know that this has affected all of us. For many, hopes of festivities, graduations, promotions, and celebrations have been taken away. My heart goes out to all affected, and to the families of those affected. 

The only advice I can give to the seniors in High School, is to pay attention right now to how prospective colleges are handling this situation and their treatment of students and workers. I am lucky to have been in a position where this doesn’t affect me financially. UCI Professors and instructors have been very generous and understanding, and to them I am eternally grateful.

I want to end this by saying, if you are very upset and sad, that it will be okay. This is not the end of the world. But also, think about the many young men, and especially young women  across the world who do not have access to higher education, or even K-12 education. Recognize the privilege we have in this country. And remember … the journey is actually more important than the destination. 

Stay safe,

Celeste

With the quarter dwindling down, there seems to be a lot of hustle and bustle on campus. With fundraising events taking place all times of the day, and a continuous amount of workshops and activities to explore and see academic subjects in a new light, expect the unexpected. During Winter Quarter, you can look forward to a lot of food made available to students from clubs and other organizations, sometimes at locations right outside the classroom!

I was able to peek into the Spanish Reading of a Manuscript we were going over in Humanities Core (HumCore for short), a year long class which takes a look at people and studies them across time, and it was a very special moment to recognize the history of the Andeans. 

I couldn’t stay the whole time because of conflicting schedules, but I did think that looking at texts in its original language, or second translation in this case, can lend insight and opportunity for native speakers to find connections and a deeper grasp of the content. 

It is always useful to know or learn more than one language, because it really can be an unexpected turn of events when an opportunity presents itself in which it could be of use.

Now, going back to the food, which usually catches peoples attention, you should definitely expect a plethora of options. Need a quick bite in between classes? Look no further than right outside the classroom! Typically near the Biological Science buildings or in front of The Hill, there are always locations where tables and easy-ups can be found with different foods at the ready. 

Boba anyone? Or maybe pizza? Pad Thai? Any of these sound appealing? Expect to find a lot of these and more on campus! There is no better feeling than when you’re starving in class and trying to figure out a game plan to get a quick snack in between classes, when suddenly after walking out of the lecture hall, you see food being sold 5 feet away. 

Oh, and good luck to prospective students! May March be full of acceptances and celebrations! 

Till next time, 

Celeste

Midterms. Let me tell you something about them, they come and go so fast you might as well be on call at the emergency room for whiplash. Jokes, jokes, but on a serious note … they ARE stressful and sometimes seem to come up right behind you, but by the time you realize it, you’ll either be so prepared you buy the booklet or scantron a week prior, or be standing in line frantically trying to hurry up the line because your exam starts in 10 minutes and you’re halfway across campus. Definitely NOT speaking from experience. 

Professors decide when to give midterms throughout the quarter, and it can be any day of the week, they choose as they please, and sometimes only give you two weeks until the second round. I mean, c’mon, what is with that? It wasn’t until college that I learned so much information could be taught in 50 minute lectures, disguised as bullet points on a PowerPoint … but I digress. 

But during the weeks that seem to never end, you need something, anything, to give your mind some distraction and downtime from those cram- I mean studying sessions! 

Here’s a laundry list of all the possible things you can do to de-stress: 

• Escape room 
• Beach day 
• Movie night
• Weekend getaway 

Something needs to ground every student during these moments of chaos, and for me, that is driving around and listening to music. 

HA! You didn’t think it’d be that simple, did you? No, no, depending on the time of day you could find me: venturing off and finding some good digs for food, spending wayyyy too much time online browsing, trying to perfect a workout routine, or making THE best chocolate chip cookie. 

Spoiler: I haven’t quite mastered it yet.

Maybe the next round of midterms, which by the way, is next week for me, I can adjust my techniques on baking. Hope this helps any of you in the future of finding things to do! Although, I’m sure you’ll be able to think of many more things to add to the list. 

Till next time, 

Celeste

WOOOOSH … and just like that, the leaves had all fallen and the snow came rushing down and— oh wait … this is Southern California and NEWSFLASH it’s not snowing!

Well with Winter comes break and it could NOT have come at a better time. I needed to catch up on some much needed sleep, so for those weeks, I rested, celebrated holidays, and reflected on my first quarter. 

One night, as I lay awake late in the a.m as one does, pondering almost all the existential life questions, it suddenly dawned on me that the subject of biology although interesting, was … as my generation says “just not it.”

But I was left with this fear of not knowing what I wanted to do, so I continued my crisis on the internet, researching all the possible jobs I could want to do and the major it was associated with and vice versa. I landed on some articles and websites listing the possible careers and salaries of prospective students with *major here* and *level of degree needed here.*

Now, you may be wondering what I decided on, but I decided on holding off for the time being, add some mystery for you. 

The first day coming back to campus, it felt a lot less hectic, the classes were a lot more manageable despite taking more classes than I had in the fall. I was happy to learn, and looking forward to all the spare time I would have to exercise or research minors to take, something I never thought I would be able to do with the little time I had as a biology major.

These two weeks back were so different compared to the first week of Fall Quarter. I had more leisure time, and I felt like I could catch my breath between classes. Overall, it was a much more enjoyable experience and I felt in a more relaxed environment surrounded by peers willing to collaborate. 

Without a doubt, one of the luxuries of being in the Undeclared program is the easy modifications I can make to my study list, and the opportunity I had to pick classes from different Schools offered here at UCI without much of a fuss. I look forward to exploring other pathways I can take during my time here!

Till next time, 

Celeste