Summer Search Bay Area staff member Justin sat down with Opal, a Summer Searcher in the post-secondary program to learn about their journey through high school to applying to a four-year school.

Q: Can you introduce yourself and tell me a bit more about your Summer Search journey? 

My name is Opal. I’m a participant in the post-secondary program. I went to Oakland High School. And now I go to Laney College. And I was first introduced to Summer Search when one of my English teachers gave me a recommendation and I went through the interview process. 

I didn’t prepare anything for the interview process. What really got me in was that I was just being myself. I didn’t prepare, I didn’t know what questions they’re gonna ask me. It wasn’t like a job interview. But everyone was telling me how Summer Search gives you free trips. And I was like “oh that’s cool.” And knowing just that I went, and I got in. Then afterwards, I went to my first kayaking trip in 2019, two weeks before school started.

So, during that trip when I was a sophomore in high school, I learned a lot and Summer Search gave me a lot of opportunities. That whole trip where I went and kayaked to different beaches was so cool. I haven’t found another program that does something like this and organizes these trips like these. I had a lot of fun, made friends, and learned a lot about myself and what I liked. 

Before COVID hit I was thinking of going to an art school in Vermont [for my junior year experience]. At first, I wanted to do something local, because something was holding me back. I was also 16 back then. When you’re 16 you’re kind of dumb. So having a mentor or just some good guidance from an adult that could point me towards expanding my horizon was good.

But COVID hit, the junior year trip was canceled, and I was really reflecting on myself. I was thinking about how there was literally an opportunity right in front of me and I had the audacity to say no, and then a natural disaster comes and takes the choice away from me. So, I’m very grateful for Summer Search to offer these amazing opportunities even though I was being really dumb. And, I had to learn.

Q: What were your initial plans for college? 

In high school, everyone usually tries to apply to UCs or all these prestigious schools. And I was gonna do that too, but when COVID hit, I felt like there was no point to apply to a four-year right away.

I spent my whole senior year online. The motivation for it just wasn’t there. Someone told me that community college was way cheaper, and I heard the benefits of being in community college. I was talking to someone, and they said that while in community college, they had a lot of options. They could explore and they were able to get their license. They were able to get stuff outside of school, while a lot of people in the four years would just be focusing on school and nothing else. And I wanted to work on other things besides school, I didn’t want to just drown in college. So, I decided to do community college first.

Q: It sounds like community college was the best option for you at first. When you decided to transfer to a four-year school, what was that process like? From making that decision to then reaching out to your mentor Jocelyn? And how has the partnership with Jocelyn been throughout that whole process?

I started out with low motivation before I reached out to any of the mentors for application help. But then, during the first year of college, I was focused only on school, just academics. I didn’t do any clubs or anything like that. I was like that for almost one and a half years, until the fourth semester, when I joined the swim team. 

I didn’t apply to the third semester, because I found out that I had only one week left to apply. I think Jocelyn [my mentor] was the first person that I told that I was going to do my PIQs [personal insight questions] the next year. I think a good part of it was also I couldn’t avoid my applications anymore. It was low motivation, and it was COVID and everything, but motivation takes effort. So, I took that whole year, and every month or two I would talk to Jocelyn about my PIQ’s.

How did I achieve my completion of my UC applications? I think a big part of it was that Jocelyn was always there when I needed her. She wouldn’t miss a call and gave helpful advice, especially around the personal insight questions for my college applications.

I wanted my personal insight questions to be really authentic and Jocelyn helped me do that. I think a big part of it was also myself. I think a good part of it was getting back to the school spirit. All of a sudden, I can go to school in person.

But now Jocelyn is helping me with my UC apps. She’s really supportive. And she’s really motivating and she communicates when something doesn’t feel right.

During the UC applications, I was asking, like, six people to review [my application], and when I asked her to review it, she would see all these changes. Then I realized I should stop letting six people see my PIQs. I realized that personalized questions are personal, everyone has their own opinion. But for some reason I wanted it to be perfect, but that’s not how it works. So I just let her see it, after six people were giving all these corrections and the more I changed it the more I felt like I was trying to look good, and it was not so authentic. 

Q: It sounds like the more and more eyes you had on it, it got away from your own to sort of fit some mold. 

There’s not one way to decide your journey after high school and go about the college experience. So I’m glad that I realized that and had someone there like Jocelyn to help me along the way. 

Q: Do you have a top school that you’re hoping to get into?

I’m hoping to get into UC Berkeley. But also every time I look at prestige, I get really iffy, because prestige changes people. That’s just not the kind of person that I am.

Q: Do you know what major you want to pursue?

I’m gonna pursue anthropology. It took a while to decide. Originally, I wanted to do psychology. Then I took an anthropology class. And I’m like, “this is so meaningful. I’m going to major in this.”

Q: Do you have an idea of what you would want to do after college with your anthropology degree?

I don’t just want to do something in anthropology. I feel like I might need to change jobs every now and then. I hope at one point in my life, I’m learning and speaking multiple languages and traveling around the world. But if I ever want to settle down, I might be some type of therapist. 

Yeah, one of those or something that is fun. Make bank and not be bored.