Selena Lopez Ortiz, a 2022 ARC Community Leadership Program graduate, transitioned to college this fall. She moved into a room with three other UC Merced undergraduates and confronted a slate of challenging classes, including biology, chemistry, and calculus. In a recent conversation, Selena shared how her ARC experience has helped her adapt to college life, and how Yosemite still feels like home.
Selena says her participation in the ARC Yosemite summer course made her transition to UC Merced easier. “I didn’t know anyone from my floor or dorm. It felt like the first day of the summer when I hadn’t yet met anyone. But just like at ARC, I slowly started having deeper conversations and building friendships.” A new friend at UC Merced, after seeing her navigate campus, asked Selena, “How do you make friends so easily?” Selena attributes this comfort to the friendships she developed in Yosemite. “Before ARC, I wouldn’t have talked to new people. ARC changed my perspective. Now, I socialize and reach out. I learned that opening up and being vulnerable makes others comfortable and then they can reciprocate.”
After spending over a month in Yosemite with ARC, Selena was inspired to participate in the Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) at UC Merced. A partnership between Yosemite National Park and the University, YLP offers students weekly team-building and leadership activities, outdoor adventures in Yosemite, and a summer internship opportunity. Selena says the program reminds her of ARC, “We explore the roots of leadership, and it provides access to Yosemite for students who might not have had the opportunity to visit before.” In just two short months, YLP has already provided Selena with an important social and support network.
Selena is one of several ARC graduates who have participated in YLP over the years to sustain their connection to Yosemite. She says, “Yosemite gives me peace. When I was there with ARC, there were no outside factors. I had a clear mind.” She added, “Even though it feels like home to me, it also feels like something new. You could go twenty different times, and each time you would see something you hadn’t before.” She’s excited for the possibility of spending a future summer in Yosemite with YLP and discovering more of the Park’s beauty. Past ARC participants have interned with the Arts Center in Yosemite Valley and with the Interpretation and Education divisions of the National Park Service.
Selena’s short-term goal is to successfully complete her pre-med coursework, so that she can go to medical school (UC Merced will be enrolling its first medical school students next year). As she reflects on the many hurdles in front of her to becoming a medical professional, she says “ARC gave me the invitation to have a fresh start – and now I can replicate that.”
As a graduate of ARC’s Community Leadership Program, Selena was awarded a $1,000 scholarship and received assistance from ARC staff in writing scholarship applications to make her UC Merced experience more affordable. She was selected for the Dell Scholarship, a prestigious and nationally-competitive opportunity. This support helped insulate Selena from the financial anxiety that many incoming college students experience.