By Mark Muckenfuss

Jennifer Rojas had great expectations when she came to Cal State Monterey Bay. She’d been disappointed with her two-year experience in community college and was looking for a campus where she could feel engaged, enlightened and empowered.

She hasn’t been disappointed. 

A fourth-year liberal studies elementary education student, she said her time here has given her more than she believed possible. Her hopes, she said, have materialized “one thousand percent.”

Rojas, of Exeter, California, said she looked at a number of schools before deciding on Cal State Monterey Bay.

“A lot of the schools I visited were too big for me,” Rojas said. “I didn’t want to be just a number.”

She said she has a friend who attends a large university and who shared with her that there is little one-on-one contact there between students and instructors. 

“It’s easy to get lost in the crowd,” Rojas said. 

She found the opposite to be true at Cal State Monterey Bay, which she described as having “a small close-knit community sense.”

“I saw how strong of a community CSUMB has here,” she said. “It definitely changed my perspective on college. It felt like home away from home. It wasn’t just a place to go. I feel a part of it.”

She also appreciated the students from varied backgrounds that she found here. 

“The small city I come from, there’s not much diversity,” she said. “I think it’s fascinating how people with so many different backgrounds and personalities come to one place.”

As a student, Rojas has taken on leadership roles in New Student Orientation and First-Year Experience.

“Being an orientation leader helped push me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I’m not afraid now to speak up and put forth my opinions.

“I’ve been taught things that make me appreciate human beings more,” she added. “I’m taking into consideration the needs of others. Even with a random stranger, just understanding them and being a resource has brought me joy.”

Rojas said she wants to teach first grade after graduating with her credential, and that her affinity for the university helps motivate her. 

“It’s made me want to put more effort into having a good outcome,” she said. 

She said the university has turned out to be just what she needed and more. But Rojas doesn’t think her experience is unique. 

“I think it can be a good fit for anyone,” she said.

This story is part of an ongoing series. Find other stories here.