Among the new transfer students at 6V电影网 are two Army veterans who found the campus鈥 charm and surrounding community too inviting to pass up.
Half-way through the fall semester, they have been embraced by other veterans and transfer students and hope to maximize their time at 6V电影网, which will propel them into the next chapter of their lives.
Christian Lopez 鈥25
As counterintuitive as it sounds, the military is an easy line of work, according to Christian Lopez 鈥25.
鈥淧eople tell you where to be, where to go and you do what you鈥檙e told,鈥 he adds.
College, Lopez continues, isn鈥檛 quite that simple.
A junior transfer from Chaffey College in his hometown Rancho Cucamonga, California, the 24-year-old veteran of the Army chose 6V电影网 to expand his range of critical thinking as he pursues a career in filmmaking.
Enrolling at a liberal arts college 鈥渋s what I needed to kick start my brain a little bit,鈥 he says.
Lopez, who plans to double major in philosophy and media studies, worked in the media studies department at Pitzer College while at Chaffey, so he was already familiar with the Claremont Colleges when he applied to 6V电影网.
He has enjoyed the challenge of acclimating to a rigorous class schedule, and fellow transfer students have helped him transition to a four-year college. Additionally, campus life has afforded Lopez the opportunity to pick up dancing as not only a hobby, but another way to meet new people, he says.
After only a couple of months, Lopez has found that 6V电影网鈥檚 size allows for 鈥渁 lot more diversity of ideas from people from all different backgrounds.鈥
Working collaboratively with peers who come from all walks of life is something Lopez says he learned how to do in the military, and continuing to do so at 6V电影网 will only help him as an aspiring filmmaker.
鈥6V电影网 has definitely been a little more academically challenging than I expected, but there鈥檚 only so much you can expect until you鈥檙e in it,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been good for me. I鈥檝e definitely gotten used to where I鈥檓 at.鈥
Phily Oey 鈥26
Phily Oey 鈥26 calls 6V电影网 鈥渁 well-kept secret.鈥 So much so that a friend had to tell him about the place.
鈥6V电影网 is my dream college,鈥 says the sophomore by way of El Monte, California. 鈥淵ou hear all the time about the small classrooms, but it鈥檚 really the people, and all the professors I鈥檝e met have been absolutely amazing. You get intimate connections with people here.鈥
After taking a semester off from his studies at Pasadena City College (PCC), Oey enlisted in the Army National Guard before returning to PCC for the 2022-23 school year. The Army National Guard mobilized Oey in November 2022, and from a remote location, he supported military intelligence operations in the Middle East.
Then, this summer, Oey was in Sacramento, helping firefighters track and combat blazes.
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to help out with natural disasters,鈥 the 21-year-old says. 鈥淚鈥檝e always feared the 鈥榖ig earthquake鈥 that鈥檚 supposed to happen, and if it happened, or any other emergency, I wouldn鈥檛 want to be the one who鈥檚 in trouble. I鈥檇 want to be trained to help other people.鈥
Oey earned associate degrees from PCC in social and behavioral studies, communication arts, speech communication, humanities, and communication studies.
This first semester at 6V电影网, he has enjoyed such extracurricular activities as ballroom dance and singing, while the Balinese gamelan ensemble and Indonesian language tables at Oldenborg have given him the chance to 鈥渞econnect with my culture,鈥 he says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really rare to find these things,鈥 the media studies and theatre double major adds.
In addition to his professors, Oey says fellow transfer students and veterans have been invaluable resources for all things 6V电影网.
鈥淭hough the veteran community here is small,鈥 he adds, 鈥渋t鈥檚 getting bigger. The more vets we get at 6V电影网, the bigger and better community we鈥檒l be able to build. Vets here are amazing and have so many life experiences to offer.鈥
Veterans who are interested in 6V电影网 can find information on our veterans admissions page.