An Eventful morning
November 16, 2019 was more than just a normal Saturday. Bright and early, SPACE staff packed up the bus and picked up students from their sites: Van Nuys High School, El Camino Community College, and finally, Carson High School.
Breakfast at Carson High School proved to be a special moment as it was the first time during the school year that SPACE students across all sites would finally get to meet and interact--a cross-site special event.
After breakfast, introductions, and energizers, students and staff met their "field trip families" and boarded the bus to commence SPACE's first field trip of the 2019/2020 school year: San Diego.
The Road to SDSu
A few hours later, students and staff arrived at San Diego State University and were met with geniality by SDSU's AB Samahan, who then gave a tour across their beautiful campus. Students were able to walk through the student union, learn about student life, and see many landmarks, such as the expansive Love Library and the statue of Samuel T. Black, the university's first president. Members of AB Samahan were also able to give the story around the statue in that during exam weeks, students across campus would come to the statue and rub the president's right foot for good luck.
During exam weeks, SDSU students would often come to the statue and rub the president's right foot for good luck.
After the campus tour, AB Samahan's board members had a panel for students to ask about campus life, housing, and any other questions they may have had that were not covered during the tour. Following lunch, SPACE students were able to participate in AB Samahan's closeout and see their version of their "Isang Bagsak".
SPACE x SDSU's AB Samahan
Views of the Sea and Visiting UCSD
Leaving SDSU with a sweet sendoff from AB Samahan, SPACE hit the road again to reach the second stop of the field trip: University of California, San Diego. On the way there, students rested up and socialized, taking in the oceanside views of the city of La Jolla.
SPACE arrived at UCSD as the sun set, but the darkness didn't stop UCSD's Kaibigang Pilipin@ from finding us and giving a warm welcome. The Tritons then proceeded to give a small campus tour, explaining to students the structure of UCSD and its different colleges, such as the John Muir College and the Revelle College, among many others.
Soon, SPACE was guided to the Price Center, where students were split into small focus groups led by KP E-board members and able to ask more questions about campus life, school environment, and research, in similar fashion to what was done at SDSU.
Following dinner, UCSD's KP was able to show us their personal touch on the Isang Bagsak during their closeout with SPACE.
SPACE x UCSD's Kaibigang Pilipin@ after their closeout.
A Day To Remember
Overall, SPACE's fall field trip to San Diego was a success! SPACE students were able to tour the campuses of SDSU and UCSD and learn more about navigating college and resources for students of color, all while having fun in the process. SPACE as a whole is grateful to not only to our gracious hosts (shoutout to SDSU's AB Samahan and UCSD's Kaibigang Pilipin@), but also to our students for coming out on a Saturday to engage in important discussions about higher education and post-secondary goals as people of color. We highly look forward to the field trips to come throughout the rest of the 2019/2020 school year!
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