Goodbye, PTK leaders...

In my two years at Santa Barbara City College I have taken part in many campus activities and joined the effort of several student organizations. Each of the experiences that I lived every day enriched my life by teaching me critical skills and making me have lots of fun with like-minded individuals. Joining the leadership team of our local chapter in the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society has been the best of these activities. 

Phi Theta Kappa leaders

Here, I have met people who are smart and ambitious, and who make really good friends. We are brought together by similar goals and aspirations, and we were able to bond deeply and quickly by woking on several projects and participating in many activities as a team. In our first semester, we organized about 18 events, meaning more than once a week we would meet (usually on weekends, and some weekdays) to cleanup, help the environment, or organize interesting lectures on campus. In our second semester, we worked on a student conference featuring three panels and treating the issues of War & Civilization, Female Leadership, and Social (Dis)trust; we also secured an official partnership agreement with the international NPO Habitat for Humanity, for which we have volunteered several times. 

Looking sharp at Finch & Fork

Now that the semester is over, we will all split up to go our own routes; a few of us are going to Berkeley, others to San Diego, others are staying at SBCC. In order to celebrate our efforts throughout the year and the friendships that we created, this Friday we went out for lunch at a fancy restaurant— Finch & Fork. 

The original plan was to take a trip to Los Angeles, go to the Broad Museum, eat out for dinner, and then be back at night. However, adviser Dr. Manu Eskandari is extremely busy and could not have made it to the trip with us. Therefore, we decided to stay in Santa Barbara, and we chose a nice restaurant to celebrate. 

I ordered “The chop,” which was a delicious salad dish, with torn smoked salmon, wheat berries, quinoa, avocado roasted cauliflower, sweet corn, tomato, and cilantro dressing, and it was very good. It was a tough decision, because I was also very tempted by the lamb burger, as lamb is my favorite type of meat and I have never had a lamb burger. My friend Diana got one, and she let me try a bite. It was delicious, too.

"The Chop"

 Even better than the entrees were the desserts! I had a fire roasted banana milk shake with caramelized banana ice cream, crushed graham cracker salted caramel, and toasted meringue. This was the best milkshake I have ever tried, and it was on recommendation of the waiter. This is highly recommended. Other friends had honey lavender creme brûlée and toffee cake, and all these desserts were just amazing! 

"Fire Roasted Milk Shake"

At the lunch, we had a long discussion about our future, talking about universities and the pros and cons of transferring to each of them. For example, my friend Stephanie suggested that for international students like me or her it makes more sense to go to a private school, because everybody pays the same tuition, while public schools tend to have significantly higher tuition rates for international and out-of-state students. Stephanie claimed that the high price of private school pays for the quality of the education that will be received, while the price of out-of-state tuition at a public university, which is a little lower but still very high, is less justified. While I partially agree with her reasoning, I am still convinced I will choose UC Berkeley Haas over USC Marshall, mostly because of Haas’s excellent reputation. As an international student dreaming to find a job in the United States, it is critical for me to be surrounded by job opportunities. While both schools offer incredible resources, I trust that a Haas education will help me achieve my goals. This, among other important ideas, is one of the reasons I want to go to Berkeley.

After one round of double-espressos and cappuccinos, we decided it was time to leave. We hugged and said goodbye, and we will see each other at graduation.

A presto,

- Fede