CSUMB 2025 Open House emphasizes campus’s welcoming community

By Mark Muckenfuss

Hundreds of prospective students and their families packed the ballroom of the Otter Student Union on Saturday, Oct. 18, to hear Cal State Monterey Bay President Vanya Quiñones welcome them to the campus’s annual open house and to share in the palpable energy of the moment. 

“I’m excited you are visiting us,” Quiñones told the crowd, part of more than 1,700 students who attended the annual event. “Selecting a college is one of the most important decisions in your life.”

She highlighted some of the recognition the university has received in recent years from national organizations. But she also emphasized the importance of having a supportive environment. 

“It’s about picking a place where you will find your people,” she said. “You find your people. You find your raft. And that’s the strength of us. I hope you find your place in the raft today.”

Following a tradition she has created, Quiñones asked the audience to stand and link arms to simulate an otter raft in the ocean, a strategy that creates safety and community for the animals. It was an effective exercise for Luz Robles. 

“I got emotional,” said Luz, who drove in from San Jose with her daughter, Priscilla, a high school senior considering CSUMB. She said her older daughter had struggled at a larger university, and she appreciated CSUMB’s emphasis on community.

“As a parent, I’m looking at the support and the closeness, especially the support from the professors,” she said. “I want her to have that experience of independence and still be safe.”

Beverly Kumar said her son, Arun, a high school senior in Danville, isn’t sure what he wants to major in and came to the open house to explore the possibilities CSUMB has to offer. 

She was impressed with the open house event, especially in light of what she’s experienced at some of the other CSU and UC schools she and her son have checked out. Many of them, she said, seemed aloof. 

“An event like this tells you they want kids here,” Kumar said, adding she liked the welcoming atmosphere. “It’s inclusive, safe, non-judgmental, and has the integrity of the Cal State system. There’s definitely something special here.”

During the 4½-hour event, visitors were able to take campus tours and learn about CSUMB's academic programs, financial aid, housing, campus life, athletics, internships, education abroad, undergraduate research opportunities and various support services. Informational tables for virtually every student organization and student programs lined the edge of the main quad. Tables at the western end of the quad offered free lunch to attendees. 

Some students, such as Noah Severson, of Goleta, were particularly enjoying the warm sunny day. Severson was decked out in a T-shirt, board shorts and flip-flops. He said he liked the “slow and easy” feel to the campus as well as its size.

“I don’t want to be in the big lecture halls,” said Geverson, who is currently studying marine science in community college. 

“I’m hoping to meet the professors with marine science and find out what I can expect in the classes, and meet people doing the major as well,” he said.   

Ben Corpus, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, also addressed the audience during the morning welcome. He spent much of his address telling the crowd about some of the newer programs on campus and how they address industry demands. But he also talked about the importance of connection among students, faculty and staff. 

“This is a close-knit community,” Corpus said, “where students are stitched into a fabric of mutual support and respect.”

That, along with the academic offerings, real-world experience and support services, allows students to grow in ways they don’t often expect, he added.

“This place is about transformation,” he said.