In this tender reflection, senior Melissa Mora-Gonzalez returns to the redwood-lined paths that shaped her college journey. As she prepares to graduate, she invites us to slow down, breathe in the shade, and remember what it means to belong to something older—and bigger—than ourselves.
When I think about the past four years I have spent in Berkeley, I realize how much there is to reflect on. Time does fly by quickly, a notion I waved aside as a first-year student but now nod solemnly to as a soon-to-be alum. One of my first memories of campus is of the early morning walks I took to class from my room in Unit 2. I had only just turned 18, and everything was new and uncertain—except for the trees. They were the first thing I fell in love with at Berkeley, and they have been my constants throughout the four years I’ve spent here.
At first, the trees were a source of comfort. I’m from a rural area, and living in a city was a change for me. Subconsciously, I sought out the more secluded, quiet areas of campus. Paths filled with giant redwoods and oaks, down through Eucalyptus Grove or near Giannini Hall, became my favorite parts of campus. A habit quickly formed during my second week of classes, once I’d gotten to know campus and its many paths a bit better.
Cool mornings were spent with small detours dedicated to walking along the redwood path near 4.0 Hill, so that I could walk under their shade and look up to see the sunlight filtering through their leaves. Not exactly a direct route to my class in Wheeler Hall, but close enough. It was always so quiet in the mornings, and after the hectic first few weeks at Berkeley that consisted of moving in, learning my schedule, and adapting to campus, I think quiet was just what I needed. To take a second to breathe in the fresh air, listen to the creek, and watch other students on their walks to class before heading to my own. Even now as a senior, I still take a moment to take in these quiet spots on my walks.
I spent the summer before my junior year in Berkeley, taking a couple of classes and preparing to be a Golden Bear Orientation Leader with a close friend of mine. One of the first activities we led was a campus tour, guiding our group of incoming freshmen through some of my favorite paths on campus. It was an unconscious decision to take them through my favorite, familiar paths and draw attention to the benches under the tallest trees around. To them, it was all new. Pointing out buildings and giving them names, explaining traditions, and pointing out shortcuts, I realized just how familiar Berkeley had become, and how prepared I felt to share even part of its story. Because even in a small way, I had become part of it myself.
Walking through these tree-filled paths of campus has taught me to slow down and savor even the busiest times I have experienced as a student. Those trees are the oldest living things on campus, and every time I pass beneath them, tilting my face toward the sun, I am reminded of something far bigger, far older than myself. I am reminded that everyone leaves a small piece of themselves here, and discovers something new about themselves here, on the same paths I have come to love and under the trees I have learned to appreciate.
Congratulations and welcome! Graduating seniors and recent grads from the Classes of 2022–2025 can take advantage of CAA’s Recent Graduate membership, just for the newest members of our Cal family.
