Emmanuel Coates ‘27
At one point, the idea of spending a summer in Claremont frightened me; thoughts of quiet, lonely days followed by boring, restless nights filled my head. Honestly, I think it kickstarted my quarter-life crisis. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have a plan, and to make matters worse, almost all of my support systems would be hundreds to thousands of miles away. Saying “goodbye” to all of my friends was the worst part. With each hug and wave, the tears came all the same, flooding my eyes and dripping down my cheeks. I spent a lot of time reminiscing about the year and wondering what toll these four months of estrangement would take on me—and additionally, how it would affect my friendships. Would summer change us in some obscure way? Would the distance put a wrench between us?
With such a natural dependency on socializing, I got caught up in the semester of fun times with friends, and I closed myself off to the possibilities of an exciting summer in Claremont with new friends, new experiences, and a totally different perspective on life itself.
But to my surprise, this summer in Claremont has been quite good to me. Yeah, it’s been a little quiet for my liking, but in that silence and isolation, I found serenity—balance between extroverted exploration and the peace and quiet of Claremont. This summer, I have made goals for myself—or rather, expectations of how I should spend my time here. Claremont, and really the greater Southern California area, is host to numerous activities, adventures, and exciting people, and I look forward to experiencing all of them.
Thus far, I’ve done a pretty good job exploring sunny Southern California: hiking, running, thrifting, exploring the vast sectors of Los Angeles, and I’ve had the help of some friends—both old and new—to curate the ideal summer. With their help, I’ve found a way to pack each week with a mixture of productive and exciting activities. While I have a base schedule working in Admissions and switching off between my other job as a legal assistant, my afternoons and weekends have been an area of opportunity. After work, I often find myself exploring one of the hikes on Mount Baldy—which, interestingly enough, I just found out is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains—and they’re great to do solo or with friends. Actually, solo hiking has become a new hobby of mine (it’s my attempt at trying to enjoy the isolation). The beautiful hills, pines, and falls paint a picturesque scene; you can sit there for hours just taking it all in, or even reading a book to the background of birdsongs.
The weekends, though, are my break from the quiet of Claremont. The 10 and 101 freeways have become familiar routes to me, as I have made many trips to and from LA. Just this past week, I’ve made five different trips: hiking Runyon Canyon, wandering around WeHo, going on dates in Silver Lake, hitting up the thrift shops on Melrose, picking up—one of many—Facebook Marketplace gems, and finally, a bit closer to home, hiking Chino Hills State Park. With each passing day, I find that there is just so much to see, so much to experience. And yeah, I still do miss my friends who are off campus, but in the time we spend apart, I’m catching up on life, I’m making new memories, and I can’t wait to share them with all of the people I love.
While a summer in Claremont once scared me, it doesn’t anymore—it’s enthralling, tantalizing even. Opportunities to explore are everywhere, and the quiet has provided so much room for introspection. The fears that once hindered my idealism are gone, and have given way for spontaneity and curiosity to flourish. I’m excited for the rest of the summer—almost as excited as I am to visit my friends on some of my weekend trips. I guess you could say that I’ve grown a lot this summer—it’s only been two weeks—and it’s all thanks to Claremont for showing me the possibilities. I’m sure now that I won’t just be surviving my summer in Claremont, but I’ll be thriving by the end of it.
