For the past five years of my life, I went down Highway 168, took the exit on Shaw Avenue and parked my car at Fresno State.

For five years, I couldn’t find parking and would drive around P1, P20, P5 and P6 because my pride and laziness wouldn’t let me park at the Save Mart Center. 

My older siblings, who graduated when I was a freshman, did the same. My younger sister, who is a junior, will continue to do the same.

This is a part of the Fresno State experience. 

The fear of getting run over by high-powered scooters is the Fresno State experience, although I guess not for long following the recently announced ban.

Failing Chemistry 1A, one of the most failed classes, so much so that President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval has brought it up numerous times throughout my time here…is a part of the experience. 

Over 25,000 students come to this school as freshmen or transfers looking for opportunity. At first, this dream seems far from true. Impacted classes are causing graduation delays, increased student fees and tuition are putting financial strain on students and there’s at least one massive controversy per semester that potentially reaches national headlines, not to mention the petitioners.  

It’s hard to see this school as a prosperous one at first glance. 

But through all that mess, there is a charm about this campus. The comfort of the Resnick Student Union bathrooms, the Dunkin’ that people were crazy over for about three weeks and the Victor E. Bulldog statue that had a cute scarf on during winter are reminders of the beauty all around us. 

Fresno State has given all my siblings and me an education that’s affordable and diverse. I got to learn more about communities that I grew up around, like Armenian, Sikh, Muslim, Christian and more. 

Being a part of The Collegian has given me a broad perspective of the campus. Learning about the issues that students face and looking into the possible solutions is something I’ve done for the last two years. I’ve spoken to tons of people, from freshmen to Jimenez-Sandoval. 

One thing that frequently came up, despite the numerous complaints about the school, was the pursuit of greatness. The majority of people I’ve interviewed were either wanting Fresno State to improve in a certain way or talking about how Fresno State needs to improve.

As long as everyone is aiming for the same goal, I think this school is in great hands.