About 1,350 high school seniors and family members came to California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) on Saturday, April 15 to celebrate their acceptance to attend this university with tours and different activities to participate in.
There were many booths set up by clubs and extracurricular activities for students to see their options if they chose to attend CSUMB this upcoming fall.
“Today is Otter Admission Day, and this is the time that the students who were admitted can come to campus and get the feeling of what it is,” said CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones.
“The most important thing is not only can the students look at the buildings and structure, but they can also look at the staff and people.”
According to Quiñones, the number of students and families that attended was a record.
Students from all over came together and soaked in the environment of CSUMB’s campus and got to see a glimpse of what’s to come next school year, should they choose to accept.
“I like seeing everyone together and how involved you all seem to be, which is nice,” said Carley Colburn a student from Redwood High School in Visalia. “I wanted to go to a smaller school and when I was told about how involved they are with their students, I wanted to come and I enjoy the area.”
Not only did Colburn appreciate the things CSUMB has to offer her, but so did her mother, which made it much easier to say yes.
“I liked the small environment for her and it seems like the instructors and everybody has a general caring concern for their students and their well-being,” said Kim Colburn.
Jessica Gutierrez, a student from nearby Watsonville High School, said she liked the chance to see where everything was.
“… I really like the environment. It’s very laid back and there’s a beach, so that’s great. Taking the tours made it a lot easier to know I want to be here,” she said.
Not only do students come for the environment, but also because they’ve had someone close to them come to school as well.
“It’s a bit of a treat for me because I’ve been on campus before, but that was years ago because my brother went here and graduated around 2018 or 2019,” said Dominic Nye, an incoming transfer student from San Joaquin Delta College. “It’s nice seeing the campus again … I feel very comfortable here compared to back home.”
Cristin Cisneros, a student from Clovis High School, had previously visited the campus when he was in middle school for his Advancement Via Individual Determination program.
“I like how everyone is so helpful, and they have a lot of access for everyone to get their questions answered,” Cisneros said.
“I know I’ve always wanted to be involved in marine biology and so I feel like this place would be the best because it’s right by the beach and aquarium.”
Admitted Otters Day aimed to provide students with the information they would need to decide if they want to attend CSUMB or not, come decision day.
“It’s very important to us as a university to provide the most important thing which is the human capital of the people that are here,” said Quiñones. “The number of people around made it really exciting because it means that people are recognizing the value of CSUMB.”
