This post was updated Oct. 20 at 9:09 p.m.
Now that the dog days of summer have come to an end, I am missing my puppy more than ever.

As I approach my last year at UCLA as an English student, the persistent question of, “What’s next?” nags at my brain.
Contrary to some areas of study like computer science or business administration, this major doesn’t illuminate one clear career path for students to follow post-graduation.

This fall quarter, I will be a fourth-year. Yet oddly, I would classify this past school year as my freshman experience – an experience unique to transfer students.

While I love sticky, warm summer days and the smell of saltwater and sunscreen, my mind can’t help but drift back to the events that unfolded less than a year ago and permanently altered my outlook on life.

This post was updated July 7 at 5:26 p.m.
Like battleworthy armor, my headphones streaming Taylor Swift’s latest drop shield me from the usual campus chaos.

First To Go hosted events at First-Generation Awareness Week last week on campus.
A first-generation student’s parents or guardians do not have a four-year bachelor’s degree from a United States university, according to the definition used on the First To Go website.