Allegra's volunteering experience with the SBCC food pantry!

Hi Guys! My name is Allegra Kabukapua Kalombo, I am 20 years old and I am an international student. I am originally from Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa, but I also lived in Belgium, Europe. I am currently a sophomore at SBCC. It is my third semester and I have three more semesters left. I am a Biological Sciences major right now and I want to be transferred to a 4-year university to study pharmacy. 

From the beginning of my journey here in Santa Barbara to now, a lot of things happened. One of the main things that I have been doing is organizing events for the Ambassadors program. The Ambassadors is a program that creates a space of confidence for local and international students on campus. The program does host multiple events on campus in order to bridge a connection between students. Within the program, we have people from different backgrounds and countries. I have been lucky to meet all of those beautiful people from different cultures. 

The ambassadors is not only a program that hosts events, it can also help you to find volunteering opportunities such as helping the food pantry distribution. The food pantry is part of the Center of Equity and Social Justice (CESJ) and is directed by Alondra Gonzalez. Thanks to the ambassadors’ program I have been able to volunteer and therefore help. 

Another great benefit of the food pantry is that I had the opportunity to help people. One of my greatest goals in life is to be able to help others. By joining the volunteering team, I realized how much I loved helping other people. While helping, we could discuss with the people that were coming. And, some other times we would even give advice to help. 

The greatest thing that I have gained from volunteering is family. We started out being unknown to each other. Then step by step we built a strong bond. We have seen each other the entire summer and even after the fall semester started. I met so many people there and I have enjoyed every laugh and fun times that we got. Throughout this pandemic situation, it can be hard to meet new people and have fun. But, thanks to the food pantry, my summer far from home was not that bad at all. We would meet once every week and that would be enough to highlight my week.

I have been very blessed to have the opportunity to volunteer at the food pantry distributions. It even helped me to apply for a job at the CESJ and was hired. If I could give an advice to people who are afraid to get out of their comfort zone, I would say “TRY”. You do not have to apply for the food pantry specifically, but if you have a chance anywhere else then go for it. I had an amazing experience and I am still enjoying it.

Trip Through Golden Coast (Antonio Monteiro)

How My Trip Through The Golden Coast Taught Me To Become a Better Student at SBCC

When we think of someone as being successful, we normally assume that he or she is resourceful, knows how to deal with adversities, and is an action taker. Being a successful student, like any other craft, requires these three aspects that I mentioned.

But to learn how to be more resourceful, or make things happen, you don't have to just sit in front of a class, work on a job, or read a book.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to learn how to be more capable in terms of adapting to new environments, challenges, and situations, is by traveling.

And my spring break trip, a van trip down the Golden Coast through San Clemente, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Diego, Murrieta, Joshua Tree desert, and the Big Bear mountains, thought me how to become a better student.

I'll share my insights with you right now, as a way to show you that being a student here is not only about academics, but also about learning how to mature and become a helpful adult in society.

This 6-day trip was programmed with the intention of having a path, but not a strict schedule. Therefore, we just agreed that we would surf for the first two days, and then move on to the desert, and the mountains.

My friend, Pierce, owned the van with a bed, Cássio, my other friend, and I was sleeping on sleeping bags in the van as well. As you might imagine, it was not a comfortable situation. But here lies the first lesson.

Be comfortable with uncomfortable situations, because they're mostly temporary.

By sleeping in a van for 5 nights, I learned that all the discomfort that I went through to sleep, for example, thought me to value what I already have in life, and what I aspire to accomplish as well.  

The main reason lies in the fact that is going to take discipline and hard work to make a good job, at school, work, relationships and so on.

Therefore, the appreciation of discomfort changed my perspective about how to endure long study periods, work shifts, and times when I needed to push through in order to get a good result

Another lesson that I learned came by seeing so many different natural environments in such a short period of time. In 6 days we saw the beautiful spring blossoms around the salty coast, the dry, harsh and yet full of life desert in Joshua Tree, and the snowy forests of Big Bear.

All these different environments developed fairly near to each other, but yet they are different, and this was the same for me and my friends.

We came from different backgrounds, countries, and ways of living, and yet we managed to stay all the 6 days together. To see our differences, and how every one of us can be ourselves and respect the other, was very profound.

Here in California, you're going to see that is a cultural melting pot everywhere you go, so people won't necessarily live in the same way as you do, think the same things, and value the same practices.

You can get annoyed with that sometimes, as I did during the trip, to be honest. But as you learn to deal with differences in a more intimate way, the number of things that you learn about life, and yourself, are paramount.

By far, this trip was my best learning experience in terms of cultural differences. And thank the school, my friends, me, and the van (which was named Beth, by the way) for this amazing opportunity.

Learning how to deal with different environments, cultures, plans, and needs thought me how to better understand myself and apply all this knowledge towards my academic and professional progress while in here, and throughout my life.

So if you ever come here, do not miss out on traveling to different places, with people that are not very much like you.

Be impressed on how big this world is, in terms of ideologies, idiosyncrasies, and nature.

Activities with friends (Astrid Sidibe)

Sandbar

I have found a super cosy bar with a tropical vibe down on state street. Me and my new friend Ann-Kathrine were looking for a place to hang out on a normal wednesday. We went to this place called Sandbar and ordered the best burgers in town (so far) and a killer mango drink. We choose a great evening to go out because we stumbled into their reggae wednesday so we also got a live performance. I love reggae and the band that played was really good.  Apparently this is something they do every wednesday with different reggae bands. So if you are looking for a good place to hang out with good music and great food you should check it out on wednesdays.

Creamistry

Last week we celebrated my friend Vanessa’s birthday by going downtown for some good Thai food and Ice cream. We ate the creamiest ice cream I have ever tried in my life. It’s  called Creamistry and it’s a nice place downtown located on state street. They make the ice cream right in front of you with a special liquid that makes it freeze. It was such a great experience! When they make the Ice cream it looks like they are doing some kind of magic potion in a secret lab somewhere. It is super cool! But the best part is that you get to create your own ice cream by choosing  what type of base (dairy or non-dairy), flavor and toppings you want. I am a vanilla flavor kind of girl so that was my pic, with fresh banana pieces on it. My husband on the other hand tried the espresso flavor and the other girls chose coconut and chocolate. There were so many different flavors to choose from so I am sure that they have something to offer everybody!

Pilates at SBCC

I have always been a yoga girl but this semester I wanted to spread my wings and try something else so I am taking pilates. I am taking a great class in school and loving  this type of workout. It is a great workout that really focuses on your core and breath in a very similar way to yoga yet it is very different. I have come to understand that yoga is a workout that is on a deeper spiritual level while pilates is more about the physical. In our pilates class we get to work with different types of equipment such as balls, bands and bricks. I do love the feeling after every class because I feel so focused on what I am doing. I feel extremely connected to my body and it makes it easier to move and be present. Our teacher Deborah is really good and always shows up with high energy and ready to teach.  So if you want to strengthen your core then I strongly recommend for you to take a pilates class. I am finding activation in muscles that have been asleep for way to long. It is bringing me back to the now! Amazing!!!

Food sharing Event at SBCC!

Last but not least I want to share a great thing about our campus. The food pantry had an event called “Food Sharing” were all students are invited to get lots of free food. They gave us big boxes that we could fill with vegetables, nuts, pasta, drinks, candy, cans of all sorts and they also gave us burritos. They had so much more than what I mentioned but I just wanted you to get the picture. This Is AMAZING! They fed hundreds of students and played music and spread the love. I had a great time and I feel so thankful that there are so many givers out there. It is not something you see everyday and it is truly appreciated as a student to be able to save some money on things like that.