EXPLO Junior Interview with Siena from California

Siena is a first-time EXPLO student from California and is loving her first week at EXPLO. Siena is learning a lot here at EXPLO Junior — in her classes, on her floor, and out on the Quad. She has thrown herself into the EXPLO world and can’t wait to see what comes next!

How did you hear about EXPLO, and what made you want to come?
Well, my parents thought it would be a good opportunity. And my older brother came. We looked through the website and saw all the courses and workshops and they seemed really exciting. I thought it would be a really good opportunity to meet new people.

That’s great! How have the people you’ve met so far been?
They’ve been really nice, especially the people on my floor. We have such a nice floor; they’re so amazing. We’ve done fashion shows, fortune telling, and dance parties. We’ve made up some games like Crazy 4-Square!

Crazy 4-Square sounds awesome! So I’m guessing your Resident Advisors (RAs) are pretty cool?
They’re nice, really nice. They are so funny. Sarah always makes up these funny dance moves and Mariah is just crazy, she’s so funny. Sarah just breaks out dancing and it’s awesome!

Sounds like a good floor! How are you classes going?
My classes are really fun! I really like my Which Way to Broadway class. Its really cool because we get to act a lot. The other day we played an improv game called Hitchhiker. The hitchhiker has to act like someone or in some way and then the whole car has to try to blend in with him. My Light + Image class is also fun because we get to take a lot of pictures and learn from that.

How are your electives going?
They’re really cool. The EMT + First Aid one especially. I learned things that I didn’t know before. Like we learned what to do if someone is drowning and we learned the ABC's, which are things to check if you are evaluating someone. They are airway, breathing, and circulation. We also learned how to take off gloves and avoid getting blood on us. I learned that it's dangerous because if it gets on your hands, it could get into your bloodstream. We practiced by having out gloves covered in paint and trying not to get it on ourselves.

If you were trying to describe EXPLO to someone who had never been here before, what would you say?
EXPLO is the best experience in the world. It has been SO much fun and its only the first week. I know there is going to be a lot more fun to come. Even just dancing on the Quad is really, really fun. Also, everyone here is so nice to you. Everyone welcomes people and no one would ever be mean to you. I met people in my classes on the first day and now they’re my really good friends. It's so easy to make friends here.

So how would you describe the typical EXPLO student?
We love to meet new people, we love to learn, we love to do the Numa, and we love to dance.

How would you say EXPLO classes are different than your normal school classes?
You definitely get to do more hands-on things here. Like in Which Way to Broadway, sometimes we get to scream when we’re in a scene. You can’t do that at school. EXPLO makes learning a lot more fun.

What are you looking forward to most over the next two and a half weeks?
Probably the last week, I hear we get to do a lot of fun things. In EMT + First Aid we are going to learn how to carry someone on a stretcher and we get to perform our musical from Which Way to Broadway, so I’m excited for that. Also the main events. I really liked the Bubble Show and bowling, so those should be really good.

If you were going to describe EXPLO in 5 words, which would you choose?
Fun, energetic, educational, full of spirit, and friendly.

So if someone was on the fence about coming to EXPLO, what would you say to them?
I would tell them that they are out of their mind to not come. EXPLO is the best thing in the world!