Junior strategic and corporate communications major, Ember Benatti, also from the east coast, is wildly happy with her decision in choosing Chapman. “I chose chapman because of the location. I’m from Vermont and have always wanted to live in Southern California,” Benatti stated. She spoke about the beautiful weather and amazing people, and the fact that she has created her own life here.

“Chapman created a close-knit community, and that made it much easier for me with the transition from moving from New Jersey,” junior creative writing major Charlotte McDougald stated. McDougald seemed ecstatic when speaking about Chapman and the friends she has made during her time here. “I don’t think I could’ve seen myself living anywhere else, and I love the fact that I split my lives in the two opposite sides of America,” McDougald proudly stated.

I chose Chapman because I wanted to be in California where it was beautiful and warm and I wanted a change of scenery. I also chose it because it was the perfect size for me coming from a small high school I didn’t want to go to a big school.

“The reason I went to chapman was to leave the state. I was going between staying in state and going out of state,” Preblud stated. Many of Preblud’s friends from home were going to stay in state and she leaned towards that at the beginning, but her dad advised her to try something different. The main point Preblud’s dad made was that is she did not like moving to Southern California, she would always be able to move back to Colorado. “I’m so happy I came to Chapman, I would never move,” Preblud finally stated.

Lydia McKee began her journey at Chapman with one thing in mind and one thing only: art. “I chose Chapman because of its emphasis on the arts and the incredible art program it has. I know one day I want my work to be seen and I know that Chapman will help me get to that place. I like drawing people. I like drawing extravagant women with lots of makeup on and fancy clothing- just from my imagination. I always add a little twist to my art. Sometimes I involve food. One time I painted a woman with a red dress made out of licorice. I also adore the color pink.”

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I chose Chapman because I had lived in Seattle for 18 years and wanted to step out of my comfort zone and have new experiences. Dodge was also a huge draw for me. The small classes, the variety of courses, and all the opportunities professors bring is really beneficial when you’re looking beyond just these four years of school.

On October 11, students of Chapman participated in a walk out in Atallah Piazza in protest of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation onto the Supreme Court Justice System. Many sexual harassment and rape survivors spoke of their experiences in front of the crowd and their disappointment  within the sexism of our governmental system. Pro-Kavanaugh speakers were inconsiderate to the affected students and did not take in any information that was given to them. Junior studio art major, Blake Hilton (left), and one of the organizers of the protest planned an extraordinary event and filled students minds with hope with her words of pain and strength.

“I’m here because I believe Dr. Ford, I believe Anita Hill and I think we are all here because of that and I think that we have to believe her because I am her, you are her, we are her,” Hilton said during a short interview in between stories on stage. 

Chapman Dance Alliance (CDA) performed their annual show on 29th and 30th of September. The dancers performed almost 20 routines with all student dancers and choreographers.

“I am from New York City. The upper east side. I went to a school that was very much like the show Gossip Girl. I love New York and it is my home but I wanted to get away from it finally. It had been my whole life spent in New York. Or at least that is what it felt like. I had never been to California for more than a week. Something about Chapman and California was calling my name. So here I am now, freaking out about an exam tomorrow and scarfing down a soggy Starbucks sandwich.”

I chose Chapman mainly because of the size of the school. I wanted a school that did not have huge class sizes and a school where I could build relationships with my professors in the case where I needed extra help, recommendations or extra practice for an upcoming exam. I did not want to just be a number in a sea of students.