By Marcus Pontello

Going to Cal Arts holds a very special place in my memory, identity, and future as an artist.  The past four years of my life have been the most creative, nurturing, artistic, and intellectually stimulating years of my life.  In honor of my graduation, my family threw me a party in July.  My entire family attended, as well as some close friends from home.  I had been excited about the party for months, but got very nervous the day of.  I realized that all these people were here to support me in my college accomplishments.  While this was a gratifying feeling, it was also upsetting.  None of the people whom I experienced my college education with were at the party.  Cal Arts has such a strong community, and I felt (for the first time) taken from that community.  It felt strange celebrating my graduation without the special people that were so much a part of my four years in school.  When it came time to do a champagne "toast", I broke.  I shed tears in front of my entire family, something I had never done before.  I thanked everyone for coming, and told them how important my education was.  I was in a hybrid of feelings; sadness for the missing people, and joy for the loving family that stood around me.  I felt wildly exposed and vulnerable.  I didn’t expect anyone to fully understand what Cal Arts meant to me, but in that brief moment in time, I feel that they did understand.  I also felt like I had gone through a subtle change in life.  I felt like I had matured, or four years of maturing had finally sealed itself in that moment.