Julian

Meet Julian Dreiman, a senior at Santa Clara University with a double major in political science and economics and a Spanish minor. Outside academics, Julian is involved in many clubs and organizations, including KSCU (our campus radio station), Into the Wild, Club Frisbee, the SCU Honors Program, and on-campus research. He is originally from Boulder, Colorado but has been living near campus while completing virtual classes at Santa Clara. Keep reading to learn more about what a typical day looks like for Julian as he navigates college during the pandemic!

I slept in this morning to treat myself from a long, busy weekend. To start my day, I took a long walk around the campus neighborhood and enjoyed the fresh morning air and bright natural light. After my walk, I decided to do some quick reading for “Gender and Law,” one of my final upper division political science classes. My housemates and I then made breakfast and chatted over coffee. I made gallo pinto with scrambled eggs and avocado. Breakfast was followed by my virtual “Gender and Law” class where we discussed the Supreme Court cases we had just read and talked about the final two weeks of class. The quarter system moves quickly, so there is much to do! After class, I had a few calls and biked to campus to print a few more readings. Even though students aren’t living on campus during the pandemic, some resources, like the library and takeout food through Benson (our dining hall), are still available to students in the area.

Next was my 11:45 a.m. “Introduction to Computer Science” course where we discussed our final project, a Frugal Innovation assessment of flood mitigation in India. I brought my laptop outside to enjoy class and, after finishing around 1:00pm, made a yummy arugula salad with acorn squash and roasted veggies, some olives, and a piece of toast for lunch. One perk of living off campus is being able to make my own food. After lunch, I organized a few things for my upcoming climbing trip, watched soccer with my mate Nick, played some frisbee outside, then hopped into a meeting with my Hackworth Fellowship advisor. We chatted about ethics and the morality of using AI and autonomous weapons in war. Interesting stuff, but it has no clear answer!

To take a break from Zoom, I called my girlfriend and mom (the two most important women in my life!) to check in. My girlfriend was at the grocery store shopping so couldn’t talk for long, and my Mom updated me on her experience with virtual learning (she is an elementary school teacher). I crushed another hour of homework and then wrote a letter to a friend who moved to Southern California. 

It was then time to make some din din, and I had decided on Korean Scallion pancakes. Hanging with my friends, I chopped loads of veggies and mixed them with Kimchi and flour. The cakes turned out delicious! After dinner, I hopped on my Into The Wild (Santa Clara’s outdoor program) team meeting. We talked about diversity and inclusion and how to address environmental racism through our organization. Heavy, yet important, topics. I ended the night by doing a few more readings and kicking it with my friends.

Each student’s journey at Santa Clara looks a little different, but a few things remain consistent. The importance of community, conversations centered around justice, and having fun are key components of the Santa Clara experience. Even when the world turns upside down and we can’t be on campus together, the value of being a Bronco still shines through!