Letter from College: 2017 SVHS grad Hannah Ford-Monroe
Hannah Ford-Monroe, Sonoma Valley High School class of ’17, is a freshman at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Right now I’m sitting in a coffee shop, people watching and listening to pump-up ‘80s music, and it feels like a perfect time to write a letter home. My hair is damp because this morning I went kayaking in the ocean and watched the sunrise, which also involved a dip in the freezing water. The beach is a huge part of my life here at UCSB: every morning when I leave my dorm, the first thing I see is the huge, beautiful ocean. I’m actually living in one of the dorms closest to the beach: I can be in the sand in just a minute’s walk. I can confidently say that I’m one of the only people here without a beautiful beach tan. I’m less into lounging around in my swimsuit and more into painting with my friend Jack on cardboard we took from the recycling bin, our feet in the warm sand, just enjoying the atmosphere. Even in the mornings when I’m in a rush, I take a second to look out at the water and think, “Wow, I actually live here.” That sounds totally stereotypical and fake, but I swear it’s true.
One thing I realized very quickly here is that Sonoma teens have a lot of slang that nobody else understands. I have been asked on numerous occasions to translate what I mean when I say things like, “that’s soooo pin, dude” or “she’s kacked.” Also, when I tell people I’m from the Bay Area, they mock me by responding with “HELLA sick, bro!” I secretly find this obnoxious because us Sonoma teens are much too cool for an adjective like “hella.”
There’s no shortage of things to do on campus and in town. I’m in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign that meets every week, I joined a beekeeping club, and I’m part of an excursion club that hosts outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, surfing, and rock climbing. My favorite extracurricular so far has been the school radio, KCSB. I volunteer there, filming live bands that perform in the studio and editing the footage for their YouTube channel. I kind of lost my hearing after the first group I filmed. They were a heavy metal band and I didn’t know to bring earphones, which you need because you record in a tiny room a foot away from the band.
Have no fear: not everything I do is serious. In fact, most things I do aren’t. I made a shrine on my wall dedicated to my roommate who dropped out on the third day of school, I help my friends make terrible soundcloud raps, I go to frat parties dressed in mom jeans and embroidered hoodies, and I’ve given people stick-and-poke tattoos. I think it’s a good sign that since I’ve come here I’ve hardly spent any time watching Netflix or TV because there’s always something awesome to do.
I suppose I should also discuss academics, as that’s kind of the entire point of being here. I’m currently undeclared, but I’m planning on majoring in film once I finish the required classes. Right now I’m in Religion and Politics (my favorite, plus the professor looks exactly like Seth Meyers), Human Geography, and Dinosaurs. Classes are the perfect mix of interesting and frustrating: they challenge me to work hard and think differently, but the load isn’t unbearable since I’m genuinely interested in what I’m learning. Next quarter I’m taking a media criticism class that I’m incredibly excited about, since it’s the first film class I’ll be taking here. I’m not sure anything can top the fun we had in Mr. Hansen’s video arts class, but we’ll have to wait and see.
So far, I’ve made friends from China to Venezuela; I’ve met crazy artists, genius physics majors, stereotypical surfer dudes, and talented skaters. There’s no shortage of people to meet, and every day is an opportunity to make new friends. My best friends live directly across the hall from me, so my dorm is always filled with painting, drawing, editing, bananagrams, and guitar sing-alongs. My roommates and I are already almost out of wall space because of all the art we’ve hung up, and my friend Harper and I are practicing to perform at an open mic coming up next month. Part of me was worried that I’d have trouble fitting into what has a reputation of being a “party school,” but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I LOVE this place, and since I got here I haven’t doubted for a second that this is a school where I’ll grow and thrive.
However, my love for UCSB has not replaced my love for home. Growing up, I had the mentality of most teens in a small town; I couldn’t wait for the day to get out of Sonoma. I wasn’t homesick at first, because everything here is exciting and new, but as time has passed I’ve realized that I took our small town for granted. It took leaving for me to appreciate that I grew up in a one-of-a-kind place. Especially since the fires, I’ve wanted nothing more than to be home with my friends and family. Sonomans have proven time and time again that they know how to work together to get through life’s bullshit. The same goes for the Sonoma kids here in Santa Barbara. Jackie, Lena, and I were all in the same graduating class at SVHS, and when we heard the news we were there for each other, checking in and updating each other when we found out new information. I cannot even imagine how awful it was to be there while it was happening, as even being far away was heartbreaking and difficult. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving break, and I have a hug reserved for everybody I know in our strong home.
College is the experience of a lifetime, and I couldn’t be happier with my new home and friends. Still, there’s part of me that will always miss late nights being bored, eating Lagos, and skating down Fourth Street with my irreplaceable Sonoma pals. I’ll see you soon, kids!
– Hannah
