West Coast Ambassadors
Our West Coast Admission Ambassadors are all current students at Davidson College ready to help you get to know Davidson from wherever you are in the western United States. Reach out to any of the ambassadors with questions or just to chat about life at Davidson.
Kyle Berlage '26 (he/him)
Hometown: San Diego, California
"Initially, I was hesitant to choose a college so far from home. However, once I visited Davidson, I felt a sense of belonging so strong that the distance didn't seem to matter. The experience of being at Davidson combines a number of incredibly important factors for me. The academics are unparalleled, the community is welcoming, and the campus has a seemingly endless list of facilities which I use daily. Being at Davidson is not about who is the smartest or endless competition with your peers. Rather, Davidson is a place where you can develop and find your passions unlike anywhere else."
Elise Desjarlais '26 (she/her)
Hometown: Pasadena, California
"I wish I realized how important the walkability of this campus was. Since nothing is more than a 10 minute walk away, my friends and I are constantly going to random campus events at all times. We will see flyers for sports games, fun events with puppies, or random crafting events and decide on a whim to attend and have the best time. Davidson's campus is always bustling with a variety of activities and I love that I am able to take advantage of all of them without needing to be part of a specific organization or sign up to attend certain events."
Jahzeel Franco '28 (he/him)
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
"I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to join a zoom webinar with West Coast Ambassadors prior to moving to Davidson. I met Priscilla, who I related to on multiple levels, and I instantly recognized her when I came on campus for the first time. Not only did this interaction make me feel included, it reinforced everything I heard about how much of a tight-knit community Davidson was."
June Hartman '28 (she/her)
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
"Looking back, my freshman fall semester was pretty hard. I was incredibly homesick and anxious, especially about the social scene at Davidson. The first few weeks I felt like all of my interactions were superficial, and I didn't feel truly connected to people. One thing that really helped me was having done Outdoor Odyssey with Davidson Outdoors. This allowed me to have some premade relationships that I ended up leaning on. I also found that even when I felt alone in my sadness, that wasn't the case. So many of my now close friends were experiencing the same thing. I had some conversations with them at the time, but I wish I had initiated those hard conversations earlier. What worked well for me was saying yes to new experiences, whether it be a club or simply getting a meal with someone. I tried to stay out of my dorm as much as possible, and learned that campus is full of surprises. You never know who you will run into or meet. Davidson started feeling like home to me after fall break. It was like a switch flipped. Part of it was that when I saw my family over the break, I realized I was proud to share my experience at Davidson. Even though they were difficult, I had a gut feeling it was right."
Priscila Plancarte '27 (she/her)
Hometown: Los Angeles & Santa Rosa, California
"Moving thousands of miles away from home takes work. I remember feeling nervous about moving from the West to the East Coast. For me, it was the people that made it start to feel like home. During freshman orientation, I felt welcomed by everyone who were excited to see me and other students come to Davidson. STRIDE, another pre-orientation program designed for people of color also allowed me to meet so many wonderful people that I now consider as long-lasting friends. I even remember during my freshman year I stayed on campus for Thanksgiving break and I thought I was going to spend the holiday on my own. Instead, two of my professors invited me to their lovely home for Thanksgiving dinner. The students, staff, and professors are beyond friendly, always willing to help, and want to see you strive for success that has helped me see Davidson as my second loving home."
Katrina Peacock '27
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
"As a first-generation student, I genuinely had no clue about how college worked, let alone an institution like Davidson. I thought the most extremes about having no help and needing to figure any issue out on my own, but that simply isn’t true. Davidson has a ton of important resources that I never would’ve thought a college provided and encouraged use of! The writing center, embedded tutors, and workshops are some of the few I utilized and can confidently say have helped my college journey thus far. Before my enrollment, I feared being left to learn to do everything alone. However, if I knew that the truth was exactly the opposite of what I believed, it would’ve saved me a lot of hesitance."
Lincoln Wilmore '28 (he/him)
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
"Be open. I never imagined myself traveling across the country for a school like Davidson, and I originally thought I already knew where I wanted to go. I even told people I was committed to another “dream school.” But giving Davidson a chance and visiting showed me what the community is really about, and I immediately knew it was the place for me. You never know what opportunities you might miss if you only stick to a set plan."
Keep Reading
Get to know our West Coast Ambassadors further in their My Davidson blog posts.
Davidson College students from the western United States reflect on how they've found home on the east coast and offer advice to prospective students also considering college further from home.
Six students from the western United States share what it was like to move to the east coast for college and offer advice for prospective students considering the decision to attend an east coast school like Davidson College.