Last Friday, 54 U undergraduate students embarked on a road trip organized by the Associated Students of the University of Utah’s freshman council to go to San Diego with one common purpose: to support their Utes basketball team against San Diego State University.
Unlike last year’s trip to Las Vegas, which had three times as many people in attendance, this year’s trip was more intimate, according to Mona Puri, vice president for freshman council.
“The small size of the group this year gave everyone the opportunity to get to know one another, and the experiences we had were unforgettable,” Puri said.
“One of the major reasons we had less people go this second year around was because not many people had $100 to spend immediately after paying for their tuition.”
The fee included round-trip bus transportation and hotel accommodations in San Diego. Although the students, 12 from freshman council, were disappointed to see their team lose 58-56, Puri said the rest of the trip was unbelievable.
“The best part of the entire trip was when a group of us headed down to Tijuana [Mexico], which was only 30 minutes away. The people there were extremely friendly in the club we went to and we all had a blast dancing,” said Puri, a social and behavioral science major.
Gloria Pedroza, a freshman and one of those who went with Puri to Tijuana, had problems entering back into the United States because she had not brought her green card with her.
“Trying to get back into the U.S. was an experience I’d rather not remember. We were delayed for two hours, not to mention the $200 they charged me to have them process my forms. I thought my driver’s license was all I needed to get back in,” Pedroza said. “It was still a good learning experience for me and I talked to some interesting people from Thailand and North Africa, who were also waiting under the same circumstances.”
Pedroza, who is a citizen of Mexico, also acted as a translator for her friends during their stay in Tijuana.
Among the other activities students participated in included attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints early on Sunday.
“After going to church on Sunday, we also went to the [LDS] Temple with a few others–it was a lot of fun,” said Shannon Miller, a sophomore history major. “It was funny watching the vendors compete for customers in Tijuana. The trip really turned out a lot better than I thought it would.”
On the way from San Diego to Salt Lake City, some students decided to stay in Las Vegas to again support their basketball team against University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
“We’re stopping in Vegas not only to support our team, but to also have some fun,” said Brandon Patrick, an economics senior. “From the trip, I’ll remember mostly the fun I had with people I never even met before and the new friends I made–that was definitely the best part.”