They arrived in September ready to conquer college. This year鈥檚 freshman class 鈥 born at the end of the last millennium 鈥 is among the best and brightest, as well as the most diverse. All told, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis enrolled more than 9,000 new freshmen and transfer students in the fall (with total enrollment numbering nearly 38,000 that quarter). Here are a few of the newest Aggies.
Lainey Hauschildt
When Lainey Hauschildt started high school, she wrote in her diary that she wanted to go to 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been my dream school since I knew about college,鈥 said the 19-year-old Sebastopol native.
The key factor? She wanted to bring her horse, Rio, a Holsteiner warmblood who had just been born at the time. (新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis is one of a few universities that offers on-campus boarding for horses.) Four years later, Hauschildt moved Rio into the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Equestrian Center, the day before moving into the Tercero residence halls herself.
Hauschildt鈥檚 passion for horses started early. Her mom bred show jumpers and got her a pony at 2. Hauschildt bred Rio鈥檚 mother. When he arrived, she convinced her mom to let her keep him. She agreed, as long as her daughter paid for everything.
鈥淗e鈥檚 taught me a lot about responsibility,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gone through so many ups and downs in training 鈥 many a tear shed. It鈥檚 been hard sometimes.鈥
Indeed, her responsible nature meant she worked hard to earn 鈥渁 lot of financial aid鈥 and is paying for what鈥檚 left with money she saved. She also continues to support Rio.
Academically, the first-generation student is taking classes in human rights, communication and Native American studies as she drills down her interests. She鈥檚 undeclared for now.
As with any passion, conversation circles back to horses. At 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, Hauschildt said she looked forward to tapping into additional resources for training, and maybe in the future, competitions. She added she hopes to join a team with Rio.
鈥淚 have a lot of interest in things,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 hope to push myself to really explore to find out what is out there.鈥
Jay Mcfarlane
As Jay Mcfarlane looked at colleges, she found 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis had the trifecta: a chemical physics major, a diverse student body and an environmentally friendly philosophy.
Still, when she arrived, the Chicago native went through a little culture shock.
鈥淭his is a lot of nature in comparison to Chicago,鈥 said Mcfarlane, 18.
When she arrived, she hit the ground running. She attended the chemistry department鈥檚 open house, and joined several clubs, including BlackOUT, a support group for black LGBTQIA students, and the Queer Student Union. She is also a member of the First-Year Aggie Connections group for those who identify as LGBTQIA.
She said she appreciated the many resources available at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.
鈥淐oming out with every life transition is rough,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut there is a lot of support here for first-gen students, for Latinas and for black people. There are things outside of academics here that are really important when you are trying to find your identity. I think I鈥檝e gotten a lot more than I ever expected.鈥
Eventually, she said, she鈥檇 also like to get involved in some research projects.
Mcfarlane鈥檚 love of science goes back to fourth grade, when her teacher encouraged her to join his science club, where they conducted frequent experiments. 鈥淚 thought that was really cool,鈥 she said.
At her high school, Von Steuben Metro-politan Science Center, she enrolled in the scholar鈥檚 program for high-achieving students. She took honors and AP classes all four years. And she discovered a love of chemical physics.
鈥淚 just love that it鈥檚 all problem-solving. You can build on all the knowledge, and it鈥檚 about discovering new things and looking at things in different ways.鈥
Chethan Swanson
Chethan Swanson has been taking tennis lessons since he was 8. Now that he鈥檚 at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, he鈥檚 learning how to give it his full attention while balancing academics at the same time.
鈥淓ven if you have a midterm or a paper, you have to be [at tennis practice],鈥 Swanson, 19, said recently after one of his six days of practice in a week.
At his high school in Folsom, he could just skip a day鈥檚 competition if he needed to study. Now at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis on a partial athletics scholarship, he has to keep up with his fellow Division I athletes both on the court and in the classroom.
鈥淎s a student-athlete, everyone around me is focused on academics,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 motivating to be around a lot of students who have a lot going on for them.鈥
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis is teaching him a lot about time management 鈥 his first tournament was two days after instruction started, and he鈥檚 at morning workouts while his roommate is still asleep.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good transition to adulthood,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all up to you.鈥
Swanson is inspired by his uncle, a second father figure who played tennis at the University of Illinois at Urbana鈥揅hampaign. Swanson recently traveled to that university for a tournament, and reveled in text-messaging photos of various spots around campus to his uncle.
As he settles into a routine at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, Swanson has some of his future already mapped out. He鈥檚 majoring in economics, which he aims to parlay into a career in finance or business, and he plans to pursue an MBA.
Erick Fierro
Erick Fierro already had all the information he needed to choose 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis 鈥 he grew up just 20 miles away in Vacaville.
鈥淚t was close to home, so I figured I could see old friends, but also I鈥檓 here to make new friends,鈥 said Fierro, 18.
In fact, he said the transition has been relatively easy so far. He and a friend from home decided to be roommates. And he鈥檚 already picked a major: computer science. He said he hopes to channel an interest in video games to work in that industry after graduation.
Fierro proved his commitment to academics in high school, earning straight A鈥檚 all four years. It was enough to be named valedictorian, a title he shared with six other students.
鈥淚 just knew that I had to envision this goal in my head and keep working toward it,鈥 said Fierro, who was also recognized for his PSAT scores by the National Hispanic Recognition Program of the College Board, which identifies academically exceptional students of Hispanic and Latino descent. He received scholarships from La Raza Lawyers Association and Knights of Columbus.
And though home is not so far away, his parents now live in Alexandria, Virginia, so that his dad, a senior master sergeant with the U.S. Air Force, could take a post at the Pentagon. An only child, Fierro said the change has accentuated his newfound autonomy.
鈥淚 was independent before, but my parents would do a lot for me,鈥 he shared. 鈥淚 really appreciated it, but then I came here and realized how much I have to do that I didn鈥檛 even think about.鈥
Alice Hung
For Alice Hung, the independence of college is not new. The undeclared freshman grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, and lived at her junior high school for three years before moving to Shanghai to attend a competitive international high school. She lived with her mother, who was only home on the weekends.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have homesickness,鈥 Hung said. 鈥淚 have experience with this kind of life.鈥
She came to 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis for its high rankings and moved sight unseen. When she arrived in September, she said she worried she would find an ugly expanse of agricultural land and cattle.
鈥淚 thought it would be boring 鈥 actually, it鈥檚 not.鈥
The 18-year-old described being self-conscious at home for not speaking English as fluently as her peers, but said she鈥檚 found her fellow Aggies to be welcoming. Within a month, she was close friends with a roommate she鈥檇 never met, and a bicyclist spotted her peering at a map and stopped to ask if she needed directions.
And though she鈥檚 still adjusting to the culture (a recent student protest inspired her to investigate why they were rallying), she expressed excitement over the prospect of making more of her own decisions. Sports were discouraged at her previous schools, which stressed academics, and she may start playing baseball again and join the badminton club.
Other interests include poetry (she self-published a collection of her poems while in junior high), psychology, art and a book she鈥檚 writing 鈥 a guide for Taiwanese students hoping to attend college abroad. As she pursues those myriad interests, she鈥檒l remain undeclared, at least for now.
鈥淚 love too many subjects 鈥 it鈥檚 hard for me to choose only one.鈥
Tales of a transfer: George Liao
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis is George Liao鈥檚 third university, and the last was nearly three decades ago.
Not every new Aggie follows the traditional path to college, and Liao is a prime example. Now 54, he said he鈥檚 confident his time at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis will be more successful than previous stints at Humboldt State and San Jose State universities now that he can better manage his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
He worked as a computer programmer, bouncing between jobs where he began to notice the wide wealth gap in American society. A job upgrading software for a county district attorney鈥檚 office inspired him to think he could do something about it, and he now hopes to attend law school with a goal of working for nonprofits focused on defending individual rights or providing college-prep programs to low-income students.
He attended Diablo Valley College before transferring to 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, where he鈥檚 majoring in English and immersing himself in the student experience, rooming with a 20-year-old in a student apartment and eating at the dining commons.
He鈥檚 optimistic, but keeping his expectations in check: 鈥淚 think I鈥檒l have a challenge ahead of me,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I do see a path toward doing well.鈥