麻豆传媒映画

When Michelle Estrada enrolled at 麻豆传媒映画 in 2022, she wanted the full college experience like she would see on TV growing up in Tijuana.

But there was one obstacle for the Chula Vista resident: her commute. Estrada would wake up at 6 a.m. to take the trolley to get to 麻豆传媒映画 by 8 a.m. and immediately leave after her last class at 1 p.m., when her mother picked her up and then her younger brother from elementary school in Chula Vista. 

Fortunately, Estrada attended an event at the 麻豆传媒映画 early in her first year that changed her life. 

Today, she is involved in three on-campus clubs and preparing to mentor the next generation of commuter students. She credits the center for making it possible. 

鈥淐ommuter Life became a home away from home for me, and I would go almost every single day, and from there it connected me to a lot of opportunities to get involved on campus,鈥� said Estrada, who majors in criminal justice and minors in interdisciplinary studies and political science. 

Estrada鈥檚 experience highlights not only the challenges that 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 28,475 commuter students 鈥� more than 75% of total enrollment 鈥� face when trying to get involved, but also how transformative involvement be for commuter students, with the Center for Commuter Life as a key starting point, said Eunice Flores, the center鈥檚 assistant director.

The Center for Commuter Life recently celebrated its 15th year of serving the university鈥檚 commuter student population through mentorship, programming and resources. 

Research shows 麻豆传媒映画 students who get involved on campus and feel at home are more likely to graduate 鈥� and in a timely manner.

鈥淢ost of our commuter students do want to get involved but, especially in that first year, they are trying to figure things out,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淭hey are planning out their day, and that takes a lot of brain power to map out just getting to and from campus. So getting involved, while it鈥檚 something they want to do, is generally not the first thing they might be thinking about.

鈥淎nd a good chunk of our commuter students are transborder students, and think of what it takes for them just to get here, waiting in lines for hours at the port of entry,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淏y the time they get to class, they鈥檙e exhausted.鈥� 

Planning ahead

If a commuter student wants to get involved, Flores said, the first step is to plan for it. 

鈥淐ommuter students have to be intentional in their efforts to get involved on campus,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ne of the easiest ways to do that is to come to the Center for Commuter Life.鈥�

Flores described the center on the second floor of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union (in the office of Student Life & Leadership, Room 210)  as a 鈥渉ome away from home鈥� 鈥� a place to relax, wait for traffic to die down, eat meals and connect with other commuter students and find information on various activities, events and services from across campus. 

鈥淭his is a safe space, and it鈥檚 OK if they don鈥檛 know where to go, what to do or who to ask,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淲e are a great starting point.鈥� 

One of the center鈥檚 core functions is to provide incoming students (first-year or transfers) with mentorship. The peer mentor program pairs incoming students with students who have been through those experiences. 

鈥淢entorship has been a core value of commuter life since it opened its doors,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淲e want students to connect with their peers, who can serve as a listening ear, or share their journey so that the mentees know that they鈥檙e not alone, and there is someone here to support them.鈥� 

Over the past few years, the center has added professional staff advisors as part of the universitywide coordinated care advising effort. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see so many students get advised by our professional staff, who are making sure they are on track and helping to build that relationship and trust,鈥� Flores said. 

Estrada began to frequent the center almost daily. 

鈥淚 would meet people, and I wouldn鈥檛 feel alone or alienated because of my commuter status,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd one of the reasons I was able to start getting involved was because the center posts so many other opportunities on campus, and they are constantly updating them.鈥�

Several flyers on the bulletin board led Estrada to join the Stitches at 麻豆传媒映画 (crochet, knitting and embroidery), the Political Science Student Organization and the American Sign Language club. 

Today, Estrada serves as one of the 14 peer life mentors, helping first year students who were in her position not too long ago. Her advice to commuter students is threefold: don鈥檛 give up, don鈥檛 get complacent and don鈥檛 underestimate the power of going to class.

She also encouraged them to take advantage of all the resources at 麻豆传媒映画. 

鈥淭ake time to explore,鈥� Estrada said. 鈥淐ollege isn鈥檛 just about learning. It鈥檚 about the experience, and it鈥檚 what you make of it.鈥�