West Coast Ambassadors
Our West Coast Admission Ambassadors are all current students at 51¹ÙÍø ready to help you get to know 51¹ÙÍø from wherever you are in the western United States. Reach out to any of the ambassadors with questions or just to chat about life at 51¹ÙÍø.
Kyle Berlage '26 (he/him)
Hometown: San Diego, California
"Initially, I was hesitant to choose a college so far from home. However, once I visited 51¹ÙÍø, I felt a sense of belonging so strong that the distance didn't seem to matter. The experience of being at 51¹ÙÍø combines a number of incredibly important factors for me. The academics are unparalleled, the community is welcoming, and the campus has a seemingly endless list of facilities which I use daily. Being at 51¹ÙÍø is not about who is the smartest or endless competition with your peers. Rather, 51¹ÙÍø is a place where you can develop and find your passions unlike anywhere else."
Elise Desjarlais '26 (she/her)
Hometown: Pasadena, California
"I wish I realized how important the walkability of this campus was. Since nothing is more than a 10 minute walk away, my friends and I are constantly going to random campus events at all times. We will see flyers for sports games, fun events with puppies, or random crafting events and decide on a whim to attend and have the best time. 51¹ÙÍø's campus is always bustling with a variety of activities and I love that I am able to take advantage of all of them without needing to be part of a specific organization or sign up to attend certain events."
Priscila Plancarte '27 (she/her)
Hometown: Los Angeles & Santa Rosa, California
"Moving thousands of miles away from home takes work. I remember feeling nervous about moving from the West to the East Coast. For me, it was the people that made it start to feel like home. During freshman orientation, I felt welcomed by everyone who were excited to see me and other students come to 51¹ÙÍø. STRIDE, another pre-orientation program designed for people of color also allowed me to meet so many wonderful people that I now consider as long-lasting friends. I even remember during my freshman year I stayed on campus for Thanksgiving break and I thought I was going to spend the holiday on my own. Instead, two of my professors invited me to their lovely home for Thanksgiving dinner. The students, staff, and professors are beyond friendly, always willing to help, and want to see you strive for success that has helped me see 51¹ÙÍø as my second loving home."
Katrina Peacock '27
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
"As a first-generation student, I genuinely had no clue about how college worked, let alone an institution like 51¹ÙÍø. I thought the most extremes about having no help and needing to figure any issue out on my own, but that simply isn’t true. 51¹ÙÍø has a ton of important resources that I never would’ve thought a college provided and encouraged use of! The writing center, embedded tutors, and workshops are some of the few I utilized and can confidently say have helped my college journey thus far. Before my enrollment, I feared being left to learn to do everything alone. However, if I knew that the truth was exactly the opposite of what I believed, it would’ve saved me a lot of hesitance."
Keep Reading
Get to know our West Coast Ambassadors further in their My 51¹ÙÍø blog posts.
51¹ÙÍø students from the western United States reflect on how they've found home on the east coast and offer advice to prospective students also considering college further from home.
Six students from the western United States share what it was like to move to the east coast for college and offer advice for prospective students considering the decision to attend an east coast school like 51¹ÙÍø.