Graduating seniors look back on their college experience by revisiting themselves as freshmen

They were incoming freshmen in 2019, just out of orientation, when we met them. We asked all the questions: why they chose UC Santa Barbara, what they were excited or nervous about as they prepared to start college, what they hoped to achieve in their time here, and what they aspired to take away when they were finished.

Now, four years later, we reconnected with the same students, asking them to rewatch their first-year interviews and, on the eve of their graduation, to reflect on their time on campus and how they’ve changed since arriving at UCSB. The resulting video project features their reactions, their reflections — and all the feels.