Marilyn Huitron is a first year, first generation student who is majoring in Communications with an emphasis in film and tv production. She’s from Ventura, California. Huitron comes from a CLU family, from her mom working here in housekeeping and her brother who came here for his undergrad and he is now pursuing his masters in counseling. She loves thrifting and you can always catch Marilyn at a concert since she loves music.Her Campus Cal Lutheran: Describe yourself in three words.
Marilyn Huitron: Honest, understanding, and kind.
HCCLU: Why did you decide to come to CLU?
MH: I was more familiar with the campus before I even started my first year. I came here with my brother sometimes and I was in Upward Bound. I formed a strong relationship with the campus. When the time came that I needed to apply to universities, CLU was my first choice. Everyone I loved had a relationship with it. It’s a very accepting campus. You can form connections with other students and faculty because the campus is small; you can’t get that at a big school like UCLA. It’s a beautiful campus, there’s a lot of nature. Everyone is so involved with making the students feel included, even the commuters. The student union sends out emails about events and lunches and such which makes things more helpful.
HCCLU: What’s your major and how did you decide on it?
MH: Communications with an emphasis in film and tv production. I’m a huge film addict; I really enjoy the art form and just watching movies in general. The form of story-telling is really interesting to take apart. I love every single type of movie. That’s why I changed my major to this, hoping I can get behind the action. I want to get an internship in a movie production company and see what I can do. They’re a really important part to the movie.
HCCLU: It’s almost the end of your first semester, how did it go?
MH: It was not as scary as I thought it was going to be. I hear so many different types of stories regarding college and that it’s nothing like high school. It was much easier than I thought; I had a lot of people there to support me. It was easy for me to get support when I needed it, whether it was from my family or Student Support Services making sure I had the right schedule and tutoring.HCCLU: What has been the hardest adjustment for you throughout your first semester?
MH: Probably the distance since I’m commuting; having to drive from home to my classes. And having my first job; so balancing out work and school.
HCCLU: Who’s your hero and why?
MH: My brother because while I was growing up he was very supportive as an older brother. He was never mean. He helped me grow emotionally and mentally. He taught me to be a very open minded person; to never stay comfortable with who I am, but rather to keep on growing and rebuilding myself. My brother taught me to continue learning throughout life and to learn from my mistakes. I’ve learned from him that you need to really mess up and learn from that. He’s not only my hero, but also my mentor. We’ve gone down similar paths, from being in some of the same clubs in high school, being in the Upward Bound program, participating in SOAR, and to attending CLU. He definitely has more wisdom and I know that I can go to him for help.HCCLU: Who’s your favorite artist and why?
MH: Solange because of the influence behind her lyrics, it’s just so empowering. She’s uplifting. When her new album came out and I listened to it, I knew that it was definitely a biographical album. I enjoy listening to it. She’s such a powerful and positive individual. Solange knows struggle, but then she overcomes it. When I saw her perform at Camp Flog Gnaw, it was amazing. I like how she’s super artistic; her aesthetic is intriguing to me. The way her music sounds has a retro sort of sound and that always stood out to me.
HCCLU: What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
MH: I ripped my pants in elementary school, my underwear was showing and my mom couldn’t pick me up so I had to wait. I was dancing to Lady Gaga in this quad area we had with my friends, so I decided to do the splits and then I heard a rip. My friends were laughing and I felt a breeze, I looked down and my underwear was showing. I had to wear a jacket for the rest of the day.
HCCLU: What’s something about you that no one knows?
MH: People see me as this really happy and positive person, which I am, but it does not mean that I’m always okay. I do have some days where I am pretty sad, but I put on a positive face because it’s such a normal thing about life itself. You need to have those days to really reflect on what’s going on with yourself. When I’m hanging out with people and I tell them that I don’t feel good, they look at me weird. People think it’s odd for me to be emotional, but it just proves that you should never judge a book by its cover.
HCCLU: What are you looking forward to the most in the next four years?
MH: I’m looking forward to my internships, seeing what I can gain in terms of knowledge of my major, seeing what job positions I can apply for, the people that I’m going to meet throughout my internships and throughout the next four years in classes, and traveling.
HCCLU: Since it’s almost winter break, what are your plans?
MH: I have two concerts to go to, possibly three. I’ve been wanting to go clubbing with my best friend; it’s this club called Blue Monday and all they play is 80’s music. We’re huge 80’s fanatics so I for sure want to go during winter break. I’m also going to bake a lot of cookies with my friends. And of course shopping last minute for my family and friends.