Uribe 1

Kyla Uribe
Professor Encinias
CAS 115
28 October 2023
God Works In Mysterious Ways

Around June of 2018, my brother Qam was touring multiple colleges in Southern
California that had very well known art programs and CSU Northridge happened to be one of
them. I remember being packed in a truck entering the side gates by the Orange Grove and just
being in absolute awe. We walked throughout the campus and gym, taking pictures at the
sculpture outside the education building and visiting the classroom within the art and design
buildings. As a 12 year old I thought this was a dream campus, not knowing what I wanted to do
or what the requirements were or what the pros and cons were of CSUN, I blurted out “I’m going
to go here someday if Qam won’t”.
I found it hilarious looking back because my brother decided not to apply to CSU
Northridge because the campus was too large for his liking and Azusa Pacific University, the
school he ended up going to, had a better art and design program than CSUN. When we left the
campus I remember taking the CSUN parking pass from the dashboard and saving it so I could
put it in my memory box for later. I feel like that's when everything started to be put in motion.
From then on growing up I now had two dream schools, Stanford University and CSU
Northridge.
Although, I never really thought about CSUN too much after that it still lingered in the
back of my mind. I toured many many campuses throughout the state of California but I realize
looking back that Northridge was truly the only one that sparked my attention, I never knew for
what reason but it was almost like I fell in love at first sight. Not to be cliche or anything but it
truly was a university that made me feel at home. Going through my highschool years, I told
myself I was going to major in Psychology because I wanted to be a social worker or someone
who works in the field of social services. But that all changed once the spring semester of my
Junior year started. I began to take ASL, this was the first year that my school had offered this
kind of language course and I immediately fell in love with it. Growing up, my mom and I
always wanted to learn sign language. We always thought it was interesting and she had some
friends who were hard of hearing and deaf so it would’ve been perfect.
I’ve always wanted to help others but not in the way of medicine: like being a doctor or a
nurse. And at the time I thought being a social worker could allow me to provide that kind of
help and support to others but ASL opened a whole new door for me. I could be that opening that
can connect the deaf community to the hearing world. But also be an advocate for them by
learning their culture, language, and values. My ASL teacher throughout the next two years of
highschool was Mrs. Cottingham. She introduced herself the first week as an alumni from CSUN
with a B.A in Deaf Studies. My eyes quickly lit up and my heart skipped a beat, this was my
sign, this was my calling.
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I was already struggling with what college to go to as well as what major but this was
delivered to me on a silver platter. CSU Northridge was known for their deaf studies program
and I knew that ASL was starting to become my biggest passion at that moment and I knew it
was going to last for the rest of my life. So I decided to apply to CSUN with my major in deaf
studies. I got accepted and here I am living in the dorms, majoring in something I love doing
everyday surrounded by amazing classmates, peers, and professors.
On move in day, I had this conversation with my mom about how little 12 year old me
would’ve been ecstatic to know that everything work out perfectly, and that she did make it to
one of her dream colleges. My mom responded, “God works in mysterious ways Kyla, you were
meant to be here”.