Swarthmore College Home Page

SwatStories

A Compilation of Random Photos in My Camera Roll From Freshman Year

Personally, I am a “live in the moment” type of person, and this means I often forget to take photos. Yet, amongst the many accidental screenshots and super random images, my camera roll has actually managed to capture some great moments. Although going through your camera roll with someone is always more fun for you than it is for them, I am going to take you with me through some of my highlights from my first year at Swarthmore. 

View down an escalator towards an airport terminal area with a red 'Welcome to Philadelphia' sign overhead and travelers walking with luggage.

Arriving in Philadelphia: First up, we have my fateful arrival at the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). It’s essential to include this, considering it marks the beginning of one of the most transitional periods of my life. Additionally, I LOVE the Philadelphia International Airport. Flying in or out has always been streamlined and quick for me, and maybe I am just biased by having to deal with LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) my whole life, but domestic flights are made easy by PHL. 

Student taking a photo of the purple colored evening sky with their phone
Bright orange leaves on large tree on a sunny day under blue skies

Nature’s Beauty: These are just a two of the many photos in my phone of the beautiful scenes on Swarthmore’s campus. Hailing from urban Los Angeles (LA), I was genuinely enamored with the trees changing from green to pink to red. Additionally, although I missed the eclipse last year, I was able to see the northern lights in the fall. 

Neon sign spelling out LAGALA
Plate of food with steak limes, vegetables, rice.
Group shot of students.

ENLACE: ENLACE is the Latinx organization on campus and one of my safe spaces. Coming all the way from the West Coast, with no family in the area, ENLACE provided me with a space to continue practicing many of my traditions and interacting with people in the community. It also introduced me to the larger Latine diaspora, allowing me to deepen my connection with my identity. 

A person outside on a sidewalk holds an 'I Voted' sticker and smiles, wearing a colorful patterned sweater and large glasses.

Voting!: During election season, Swarthmore’s Get Out the Vote efforts were extremely active around campus. Students at Swarthmore are assigned to different polling locations based on their dorm, and transportation to and from the polling locations was even provided. As an extra, they also had a food truck for students and a station in the library where you could turn your “I voted” sticker into a button. Some of my professors even canceled class to give students ample time to cast their votes. I hope you like my sweater!

Snow-covered pathway flanked by tall evergreen trees with a person walking in the distance on a foggy winter day.
Snow-covered trees and ground surrounding a cleared walkway on a college campus.
Two students smiling and posing closely together in a dorm room with a third student sitting nearby, surrounded by posters and room furnishings.

Winter (formal): I had never seen actual snowfall before my time at Swarthmore. The campus was transformed into a beautiful winter wonderland, and it was truly amazing to me. My friends and I got large cardboard boxes from McCabe Library and used them to sled down the hills next to Magill Walk. The wintertime brought a lot of other fun experiences as well, like the winter formal!

Large crowd on city street in the evening
Group of people in a sandwich shop watching TV.

Super Bowl!!!: How lucky am I that the Eagles won the Super Bowl the first year I was in Philadelphia? I will admit, I haven’t been the biggest football fan in the past; however, it is safe to say that I have been converted. Celebrating our win on Broad Street with what felt like all of Philly has got to be one of the most memorable experiences of the second semester. A powerful sense of community pride created a tight-knit atmosphere.

Large telescope inside an observatory dome illuminated by red light with people in the background.

Observatory: I have always been fascinated by astronomy. I think it’s a fascinating field, and although I haven’t taken a class in the department yet, I am a frequent attendee of their open house hours. Whenever there is a particularly remarkable event in our night sky, my friends and I will go up to use the very expensive telescope and listen to professors explain what we are looking at. 

A guitarist and keyboard player performing together.
Looking through a darkened doorway into a lighted rooms with a group of students socializing.
Two students in hoodies hugging.

Music/Worthstock: With student bands representing all genres and styles of music, there’s a wealth of options to explore. Whether you attend your friend’s classical concert or listen to a practice guitar session, the musical scene at Swarthmore College is rich and alive. One of my favorite musical experiences on campus is Worthstock. A school-wide concert opened with the student band winners of the Battle of the Bands! 

A group of six young activists holding signs advocating for environmental justice and climate action, standing outdoors in front of a tree-lined backdrop.

EJ March: In the spring semester, I signed up for a writing course called Persuasion. I initially believed it was simply an English course. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was cross-registered with environmental science. In class, we studied how rhetoric can be applied in the context of advocating for solutions to pressing ecological issues. As part of our unit on embodied rhetoric, we attended the Environmental Justice March in Chester. It was a truly eye-opening experience in applied learning. 

People walking and standing in a busy indoor market corridor with neon signs advertising steak and pizza.
People walking and taking photos near the Philadelphia LOVE sculpture in front of City Hall on a cloudy day.
A sunny park path lined with benches and trees leads to a historic building with tall columns and statues, with people walking and sitting nearby.
Three hands holding crepes filled with strawberries, ice cream, and chocolate sticks, with plastic spoons inserted.
A person standing on a cobblestone street lined with historic brick buildings and flags, pointing upwards.

Exploring Philly: Overall, I wouldn’t trade the first semester for anything. I had a great deal of fun both on and off campus. One of the primary reasons I chose Swarthmore is the tight-knit community and the numerous events and opportunities available on campus. However, coming from urban LA, I am grateful to still have access to a city, especially one as exciting as Philadelphia.

This blog post lives in the following categories: .

Written by:

Itzel

Hello! My name is Itzel (she/her), and I am from Los Angeles, California. At Swarthmore, I am a member of the Class of 2028 and an Economics major with a prospective minor in Math. In addition to being a summer intern with the admissions office, I provide GED tutoring to incarcerated individuals in Chester, and I serve on the executive board for ENLACE (our Hispanic and Latino organization).