We're debuting a new audio interview project called StoryCruz, which gives people an opportunity to record, share, and preserve their UC Santa Cruz stories and create a valuable archive for future generations.
Stories will be archived and presented on our website and through various media. The project is still in-progress, but we present a preview here—parents Charles and Adrienne Coleman recorded their story during fall student move-in.
Charles and Adrienne Coleman of Greenville, S.C., share their bittersweet feelings about dropping their son, Vernon, off for his freshman year at UC Santa Cruz on September 18.
"Kinda rough," concluded Adrienne. But she added, "I really do like the fact that it's not so big and they have the opportunity to get to know each other. So I feel really good about leaving him 3,000 miles away."
Charles joked, "We'll FaceTime him every hour on the hour until we make sure he's safe!"
But the proud father sees UC Santa Cruz—only 33 miles from the high-tech hub of Silicon Valley—as a growth opportunity for his tech-oriented son, as well as for the family.
"We'll grow through it, he'll grow through it, and we're looking forward to him growing all these great friendships," Charles said.
He and Adrienne are "both proud military," he said, "so we know for him it's going to be some great, lasting relationships that grow through this, just like it was with us where you meet other people from other parts of the world. So it's exciting."
