San Diego STEM Trip - Richard Gonzalez

Hi, my name is Richard Gonzalez. I want to take a moment to talk about the San Diego Trip and express my deepest thanks.

First, I’d like to give a big thank you to Ricardo Godina and Yuki Longest for organizing this unforgettable experience for us. They went above and beyond to make sure we had the chance to visit UC San Diego. This trip wouldn’t have happened without their hard work and commitment.

To make this trip possible, we all pitched in to raise funds. We organized two raffles — one for a Dutch Bros gift card and another for a Hop House prize. We also sold tamales and ran a food booth at Wilder Park during the 4th of July celebration.

Our journey began in Las Vegas, where we took a shuttle from the airport to pick up our rental car. From there, we drove 4–5 hours to San Diego. That road trip gave us the chance to connect and get to know each other better, which set the tone for a great experience.

When we arrived in San Diego, we checked into our hotel, where we stayed for three nights. The following day, we visited UC San Diego — an incredibly large campus (about 1,200 acres) with eight unique colleges. One of the highlights was visiting the library, which features a statue of Dr. Seuss with the Cat in the Hat on his shoulder. We also saw the famous “Fallen Star” art piece — a house installed at an angle on the edge of a building, fully furnished inside.

In conclusion, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. Not everyone gets to experience something like this, and I will always be thankful to our advisors for making it happen. Thank you to all the students who joined the trip — we built lasting friendships and created memories that will stay with us for a long time.

It truly was an amazing summer experience. Thank you.