My Journey to the University of California, Berkeley
Hi everyone! My name is Emma Treasure and I am currently a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of the women’s soccer team. This summer I chose to take a class on social media and journalism. We were given an assignment over the course of this 6-week class to cover a specific passion of ours that falls under any traditional journalistic coverage area. Most of the content I have posted on Instagram and Twitter is related to my life and those of my friends who are student-athletes. I have focused my content on the various issues that are facing intercollegiate athletics during the COVID 19 pandemic. For this post I would like to offer some perspective and context on how I arrived at Cal and my experiences during my time at Berkeley. I hope you enjoy learning more about my journey!
As I enter my final half of my collegiate career, I reflect back on my first two years at UC Berkeley and how my life has changed dramatically since the end of my senior year of high school. To start, I could not have picked a more different University environment than my high school. I went to Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon which is a small private catholic school. I never saw myself at a large public school like UC Berkeley until I went to a Cal women’s soccer camp the summer going into my sophomore year of high school. I loved everything about the school and thought who would pass up on an offer to go to the #1 public university in the world while also playing the sport they love. So, I committed to UC Berkeley early in my high school sophomore year to continue my academic and athletic career.
As my senior year of high school came to an end and my freshman year of college was fast approaching, I became overwhelmingly nervous. I knew that attending Cal was far outside of my comfort zone but I was ready for the challenge. I knew that if I didn’t challenge myself in life then I would never grow. I could have chosen to attend a private Jesuit college like many of my friends or played at a non-PAC 12 school but instead I chose an out of state public school with 42,000 students in the conference of champions. As my senior year of high school came to an end the prospect of attending Cal became extremely daunting.
Fighting my fears and reservations I packed up my life in Oregon and took a leap of faith. After eventually overcoming my nerves, I realized I had made undoubtedly the best decision of my life thus far. Although I still miss home at times, I have become comfortable at Cal and I owe this to my teammates and the Cal community. I felt so welcomed as soon as I arrived on campus and this sense of comfort made me feel at home. The team and community embodied everything I could have ever wanted and more. I now have a group of lifelong friends along with memories that I will cherish forever. I say this all with only two years of my college experience behind me. I truly cannot wait for what is to come in the next two years and beyond.
Roll On & Go Bears!
