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New Student Chronicles, Ch. 1: Karissa Montania

Today we are featuring our final new student guest blogger, Karissa Montania! Let’s get to know Karissa…

“Hi everyone! My name is Karissa Montania. I’m from Honolulu, Hawaii and am a freshman at the University of San Francisco! Coming from an island that was sunny 24/7 to windy San Francisco is definitely a change but I love the weather here! My passion is listening to music and I am an avid movie fanatic! I try to watch movies of all genres whenever they are released. I am also an animal lover! Back in Hawaii, I volunteered at my local Humane Society and had the opportunity to work with all types of animals! Communication Studies is my major and I am very excited to work with and learn from the USF community!

First year COMS major at Ocean Beach (just kidding... it's Hawaii!)

Move-in day to USF was the first time I had ever set foot on campus. I came here not knowing what to expect from the dorms, facilities, and classrooms. When I did see the campus, I let out a sigh of relief because the campus met my expectations. The closeness of all the buildings reminded me of my high school and made me feel comfortable. Speaking of high school… it felt weird for me suddenly going from the title of upperclassmen senior to underclassmen freshmen. I knew the transition would be different, because the class of 2011 became the class of 2015 and we were now at the bottom of the ‘food chain.’ But USF is not high school, everyone here is welcoming and treats you the same way if you are a freshmen or junior. As far as classes go, I make the long walk to Lone Mountain twice every other day, but I don’t feel as much resentment towards the stairs because it gives me motivation to exercise off the food I eat every morning from the cafeteria.

I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people from different areas of the world here at USF, and learning more about the city! I have already spent my weekends at Union Square with a group of friends shopping at H&M and eating at the Cheesecake Factory atop of Macy’s.  I am slowly adapting to the MUNI and learning how to get around. Japantown is also a favorite for my friend’s and I to visit, when we want to experience something different.

Karissa and friends

My greatest fear is sleeping in and missing classes. That is why I brought two alarm clocks with me. Back at home I always had my sisters rushing me and waking me up to drive us to school. Here it’s all about relying on myself (or my roommate!) to wake me up. So far, everything has gone smoothly and I haven’t slept in!

I miss my family, pets, and friends from home. Hawaii also has some of the best beaches that I miss. I miss being able to step outside and not worrying about how cold it was outside, because like I mentioned earlier, it’s sunny 24/7 at home. I do miss all these things, but I also love meeting new people and making new friends! The friends that I have made here already feel like my second family, and it’s nice being in dorms so close to each other because we can have sleepovers whenever we feel like it!

 

Karissa and women from her floor in Hayes

This semester, I plan on expanding my knowledge of the city and taking advantage of all that USF has to offer. I am excited to be in the Communication Studies department and learn more about the major that I have chosen! I think I am going to like it here.”

Thanks, Karissa, for sharing experiences with us! Welcome to USF and the Communication Studies department!

campus

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