Leilei: Welcome back to our Transfer Talks podcast. My name is Leilei and I'm a Transfer Jacks peer mentor. We have a very special guest here with us today to share their transfer experience.

Vinny: Hi there. My name is Vinny Solano. I am a music performance major and I'm from Mesa, Arizona.

Leilei: Very nice. Thank you for being here with us today.

Vinny: Of course, it's my pleasure.

Leilei: Okay. So how about we start with just some this or that questions just to move into it a bit?

Vinny: Sure thing.

Leilei: Sounds pretty good. Okay. This seems kind of relevant but sun or snow.

Vinny: Yeah. That's a tough one.

Leilei: No way. You're struggling right now. My goodness.

Vinny: Look, I like the snow but after like snow-mageddon back in March. Like, I don't know. Ultimately though, I think I'm going to have to say sun.

Leilei: Oh my God. Yeah. I mean, it's finally a nice day. I mean, I really need to knock on wood for that because it's Flagstaff.

Vinny: Absolutely.

Leilei: But, how did you manage the snow?

Vinny: You know, I was lucky enough to have a group of friends that were like, Hey, if you guys just want to spend like one or two days at our dorm, like that's perfectly cool. So I was able to just hold up with good people, good food, right?

Leilei: Oh, yes.

Vinny: Get caught up on homework.

Leilei: Love that. So then why have you chosen sun?

Vinny: Ultimately, my favorite season is summer. So and you know, that's nothing but sun. I don't like the summer down in the valley because you know, it gets 120 degrees.

Leilei: That is a year-round.

Vinny: That's a year-round. But I like, I like the amount of sun. So that's summer as opposed to winter, right?

Leilei: Would you say especially with all these snow storms and snow days, it's even missing the sun just a bit?

Vinny: Just a little bit. I mean, I'm happy to get all the snow, right? Because you never get any of that down in the valley. So it's nice to experience it for good and for bad. But some days when it snows, I'm like, come on. 

Leilei: I'm done now. 

Vinny: Yeah, exactly. 

Leilei: After, I don't know, the fourth class cancellation, I was just like, okay, you know, you can stop now. You know, like my routine, totally gone at this point. But I'm just like, I could really use some sun. And I'm from Yuma, Arizona. I don't know if you're, you know, where that is, but it's similar weather to Phoenix to the valley.  Yeah, I don't miss it, but I've actually never missed it as much until the semester.

Vinny: There you go.

Leilei: I, because it's crazy how it can be snowing over here. And then like two and a half hours away in Phoenix, it's opposite weather. It's just, it's mind-blowing to me. 

Vinny: I'll like text my parents a picture and be like, Hey, look, this is what I, this is what it's like for me. You know, it's, it's dark skies. It's been snowing all day and they'll send me a picture and it's just not a single cloud in the sky. Perfect blue skies, everything. It's sunny. It's picturesque.

Leilei: It was like vacation when I went there over the weekend and it was so nice. I got to wear the shorts, the short sleeve. I couldn't, I didn't have to wear like three layers. It was so nice.

Vinny: Absolutely.

Leilei: Yeah. Okay. Well, so then moving on, North or South campus?

Vinny: North campus.

Leilei: How come?

Vinny: I think it's prettier. I feel like there is definitely a lot more history to it. You just, you can feel it. You can take it all in if you're just taking a walk through the North Quad. South campus, it's nice. It's modern, but it doesn't have the same charm to it that I think that North campus does.

Leilei: That was well described. I like tried to find a way to like do it, but I, I like how you used the word like modern and like, what did you say? Like, I don't know if it was traditional or if it was a history. He says history. It really does have that kind of like old town kind of vibe. You know, like there's definitely, it's, obviously it's been here longer, you know, but I, I do agree with you. And I mean, I am biased because all my classes over here, but I have definitely been in South campus, but the vibe in a sense is just, it's just the way I like it in North campus.

Vinny: Absolutely.

Leilei: Yeah. Okay. So then the last, this is that question. Union or HLC?

Vinny: That's a good one.  Because I mean, there's plenty of places. I like the second floor of the union. It's nice and quiet. There's many places to just kind of do your own thing. It's not as crowded because like there's not really, are there classes on that? I know that's where disability resources is, right? But not a lot of people go to the second floor, correct? From what I understand, no, no, but ultimately I think I'll have to go with the HLC. I mean, it's a bit of a walk for me, but I don't mind because of the layout of the building. It's a really beautiful interior. And it's also, if you catch it during the right time of day, it is quiet.

Leilei: It is so nice. I forget about it all the time. So I live in Mountain View, which is right next to HLC. But I don't go to HLC often. I guess it's just because I want to go home at that point. And I don't feel like making any pit stops on the way. And the hill is, it doesn't, it's not exciting to go up. So I try not to like postpone it by going to HLC. But every time, I used to have a couple classes that last semester, it was really nice. And I just, it's so easy to like forget about it because people are so like, Cline, you know, or maybe other buildings where your classes are. But I feel like a lot of people don't realize that HLC is a really good study space.

Vinny: Oh, absolutely.

Leilei: Yeah. So that's something I would have done. I would have gone there more often. But I mean, I have five more weeks. So maybe I'll, I still have time.

Vinny: Yeah, we'll see exactly, right?

Leilei: Okay, so onto the lighthearted ones. What do you like about campus or the NAU environment?

Vinny: Yeah, I like that it's really inviting. It's, I've seen a lot of college campuses that are like, well, if you want to go somewhere, you're going to have to go across a ton of roads. You're going to have to watch out for like a train that passes through campus. It's a bunch of shops. It's loud all the time. NAU is a very compact campus. And it's always kind of mellow in terms of the vibe. So if you want to go for a walk, you just want to walk around the section of campus, it's totally okay to do so. And it's not like, I guess I have to go walk through campus to get from one building to the next. It's cool. I mean, I'm going to my next class or something and it's a really nice walk, no matter where you're going.

Leilei: I find it interesting that you use the word like compact because it makes it seem like it's crowded. And I mean, you think of like other like state universities here. So we have like U of A and ASU that are our neighbors and those are really big city schools compared to us. So how would you say the difference? I mean, I don't know if you've actually been there to see how those like environments are. But how would you say that NAU differs from their peer universities?

Vinny: I think that the way that we differ from our peer universities is it feels more like a university. ASU, I haven't been to U of A, but I've been in and around ASU enough to feel like it's just a part of Tempe as a whole. Like it doesn't feel like it's its own area unless you're in like the old main part of that campus or by the library. Here at NAU, you feel like you're on a college campus. 

Leilei: And how would you like say a university campus should feel like, you know, because you're saying it was really hard to differentiate between the city and the school at ASU. But here at NAU and Flagstaff, it's different.  So what makes, what makes it different for you?

Vinny: Yeah, I feel like a college should feel more like a college campus. That way it provides maybe a better sense of security for students. I know one of the big things is that a lot of people who live in Tempe will accidentally wind up on ASU campus without even realizing it.

Leilei: Really?

Vinny: And so you get a lot of people who are like, Hey, there's like a guy wandering around my dorm building and like, I'm pretty sure he's a livier. Whereas at NAU, you have like an idea as to, okay, this is the college campus because if you're coming in off the I-17, you have to take an exit and kind of go like down a little bit. And the South campus is a little bit like lower in elevation to the rest of the things going on.

Leilei: Okay, okay.

Vinny: And then on North campus, you have to get in through, I think it's San Francisco or Riordan. I forget the name of the other one. I think it's Knoles Drive.

Leilei: Yeah. 

Vinny: And like you feel when you get onto campus. You're like, okay, this is NAU and that's Flagstaff. 

Leilei: That's probably why you use the word compact too, because it's such a dedicated space for the school. I mean, that's very nice. So then being here at NAU so far, what's your favorite memory?

Vinny: Yeah, I would say it would have to be NAU Band Day. We host two marching band competitions, one at the state level and one at the national level. The state one is a really nice one because we have a lot of kids from Arizona, particularly from the Valley that may not know what we have to offer in terms of music departments here at NAU. So what we do at the end of the night after all of the high school bands compete is the NAU Lumberjack marching band will do an exhibition performance for the kids. It's kind of like hey, check us out. This is what we've got going on. And that was probably the most receptive performance I've ever been a part of. All of the kids enjoyed the music we were playing. There were kids that got up and danced. There were kids that were singing along. They were recording. It was really great to see that they didn't know what we were doing up here at NAU. And now we've got a whole stadium full of kids that are thinking, you know what, I think I want to go to NAU now. That was really nice.

Leilei: How does it feel? Because I remember we talked about this earlier in the semester and I forgot that you were a marching band too. And then we talked about how I did it in high school. And I don't know if it was just where I grew up, but I just feel like on the west side of the country it's not as popularized or appreciated marching band. And that's my own opinion of things. But how does it make you feel to see like, you know, because this is like an exhibition for kids to be introduced to marching band and maybe be interested into it. So how does it make you feel seeing them all happy and like actually wanting to like, oh, I want to do this and I want to do that. Because I just feel like based on my experience, it's not appreciated enough. And so I always love when I see people actually valuing marching band and just like music in general. So like, how do you, how does that make you feel?

Vinny: It feels great. Ultimately, one of the things I like, I want to do with any organization I'm with is leave it better than how I found it. So if doing these kinds of performances, having more people join the marching band that way it grows and it becomes recognized on a similar level to the ASU or the U of A marching band, that's ultimately what I'd like to do is by the time I leave that program is it's a much bigger band than I found it. They sound better. They look better. It's a better culture, most importantly, because we were able to get these kids from these programs into our school. 

Leilei: And to feel have that feeling like you definitely contributed to that, you know, what is it, the process of like development and everything. So I bet you that feels pretty good too.

Vinny: Absolutely.

Leilei: Okay, so then talking about like marching band, what other types of like maybe programs, departments or student organizations, clubs, did you join or perhaps get involved in that helped you to transition?

Vinny: Ultimately, the only other one is the Transfer Jacks program. I know it sounds like a bit of a plug here, but it's an organization that's really helped me feel more welcome on campus. It's been really nice having a mentor that's like, Hey, I've got these events going on. If you'd like to come in and meet, that's great. And setting up meetings going, Hey, I just wanted to get to know you. Here's all the resources that you have through the Transfer Jacks program to help make this transition as comfortable as possible.

Leilei: Very nice. And would you say that it definitely played a huge role in your transition here? Because I know you had marching band and Transfer Jacks or here, let me rephrase the question. Did having some sort of involvement on campus help you to transition really well here on campus?

Vinny: Oh, absolutely. For sure. One of the things I've noticed in my time at other colleges as well as here is the more involved I was able to get, the more comfortable I felt just knowing the campus, knowing the people and knowing that I've got a community. It's really easy for people to go to college or university and not join any programs, even if they're made readily available to them and then feel isolated from their peers or even just the campus as a whole. 

Leilei: And that's actually a common thing for transfer students because we come at a certain point of maybe having already gotten rid of the I want to socialize with people phase. Maybe we want to just get down to like, I want to get this degree. I want to like pursue like my career and everything. And so maybe socializing isn't so much of a priority. And we have a lot of transfer students that actually don't feel a sense of belonging or kind of timid to even be involved because they feel out of place. Have you ever experienced any of that? Was it a struggle for you to kind of engage and reach out with others and not so much?

Vinny: Absolutely. My first year of college, I was a part of a program that was designed to get first year college students to get to know each other and to get involved on campus. But I didn't really take part in it. And so not having a group of people that I could rely on or at least know is more than just a face that I see walking through campus. I felt very isolated and it's no one's fault for my own. I didn't reach out. I didn't engage in the community. So ultimately I did feel isolated from my peers and from the school itself. 

Leilei: And you know, it's a learning process too. And it's not, it's easier said than done to just be like, just get out there. You know, and maybe for like, I mean, I'm actually an introvert, believe it or not. But it's hard for me at one point in time, it was really hard for me to reach out and ask for help, you know, because like especially coming in as maybe like an upperclassman, it's like you have this expectation that you should already know what to do. And even if you're new to campus that you should know what things are, you know, because we're not freshmen, we're not kind of first year, but it is our first year on campus, but they have like, it's like almost society has this expectation or maybe we're even just putting that expectation on ourselves, you know, but for like future transfer students, what's something that you would give them like an advice on like, for incoming freshmen incoming transfer students, like how would you tell them to do coming here, encourage them to do.

Vinny: Yeah, the biggest piece of advice that I have for incoming transfer students, we'll go ahead and address them directly here if any of them are watching. You're going to receive a million emails from the transfer jack program and your transfer, your peer mentors, well, reply to at least one of them. That is the easiest thing you can do to get yourself a community of peers who have similar experiences to you, to take part in really fun activities that you get to know people better, you get to know your mentors better. And ultimately, it just sets you up for success here at university, specifically here at NAU, right? Just reach out or if they reach out, respond to at least one of those emails. That is ultimately the way you get everything started on setting yourself up to have a really nice community of people that you can fall back on.

Leilei: And coming off of that, you know, how do you feel as a transfer student? Like, what does that make you feel like?

Vinny: You know, I used to have a little bit of reservation on being a transfer student. I've had people here tell me, it's like, imagine like coming to NAU, not on your freshman year, it's like, that's fine. That's not a problem.

Leilei: It is very stigmatized whether or not people believe it. And I don't think they realize the impact it puts on us as actual transfer/non-traditional students, you know, so like, again, like kind of further elaborate on how you felt about that.

Vinny: Yeah. I used to feel like, well, I mean, did I do something wrong with my education? Should I have, am I wrong for not have come to NAU, like straight out of high school and eventually realize, no, it's completely fine. There is a time and there's a place for everything. And for me, coming here to NAU just happened to be now as opposed to right after high school. 

Leilei: And like, that's part of the reason we're having this podcast too is to really share those experiences. Cause I feel like part of the reason is that people just don't know, you know, there's one thing to kind of like seek and look for the answers and everything, but people really just have no idea sometimes. And we really thought that this would be like a good idea to just share those experiences. Cause like for transfer/non-traditional students, we each come from different routes. It's very unique and there's no one route that everyone comes from. Maybe you're a community college, maybe you took a break, it varies. And we really just thought sharing this would help people to just get an idea of like how we feel for one and that it shouldn't be a problem again, cause we all come from different places and everyone has their own timing and things. There's no fixed time. And especially now I feel like just a bit, it's being appreciated that going straight to college right after isn't always the ideal way for people, right? Cause it just depends on you. So how do you feel about that? 

Vinny: I feel like this podcast and this program is really doing the right things to get rid of that stigma. Cause I know there's a lot of my, there's a couple of my own peers that I know as transfer students that feel alienated from the rest of their peers because that they didn't come here right after high school. They're not getting, they're like the full amount of, the full four years, right?  And I think this podcast and this program again is, is really getting rid of that stigma. It's like, Hey, you're a transfer student. Ooh, you messed up somewhere. Look at that. No, no, it's, it's completely fine. There, the beautiful thing about college is it doesn't need to happen directly after high school and in four years. It could take as long or as little as you need it to ultimately.

Leilei: And people need to realize that too. Again, you know, like for sure it seems like we live in a time where universities are predominantly like people that came right after high school. It's still a thing, but I can definitely see that numbers are growing for transfer students to realize that you don't have to do it that way anymore in a sense. 

Vinny: Yeah. 

Leilei: So, you know, is there kind of like talking about what we said and everything as a whole? Is there anything else they'd like to add in and let our viewers know about?

Vinny: Um, I think I think of the main points is that you know, it's, it's okay to take college however you need to. It's at your own pace and to just reach out and that's the, that's the way you get involved in a community. And that, that's about it really.

Leilei: Okay. Well, then if that's everything, thank you for joining us today and sharing your transfer experience.

Vinny: Of course, it's my pleasure. Thank you very much.