Northridge: An Unexpected Belonging
The rivalry between East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights sparked an identity crisis within me at a very young age. Although I lived in each location for good portions of my life, I eventually left both behind before I was able to truly call them home.
I lived in South Gate throughout high school, only to pack my bags once more in pursuit of higher education.
To my surprise, my three(+) years in Northridge have allowed me to establish myself and develop a “main character” mentality. As rewarding as it all is, it can be quite lonely and the COVID-19 pandemic only elevates that feeling.
Being that I currently live so close to CSUN, I especially noticed the virus’s impact on the campus community. It was definitely strange to witness a population of nearly 40,000 being significantly reduced to a figure nowhere near its original, overnight.
Quietly working in an environment that would otherwise be busy was a bit unsettling as a University Library student employee. Being left alone with nothing more than my thoughts led me to eventually miss the commotion.
As a college student, I obtain my news from university update emails, Twitter and the News application on my cellphone. I assume the same for my colleagues, with the mandatory transition to online learning and CSUN’s Device Loaner Program.
I would be interested in learning whether or not students, faculty and staff feel the need to physically be on campus in order to feel like they are part of the community. With vaccine administration, among other measures, it seems like the university is desperately doing all it can in order to return to normality.