At Day at The Beach, admitted students find representation, resources and reassurance | California State University Long Beach
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:09
At Day at The Beach, admitted students find representation, resources and reassurance | California State University Long Beach
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At Day at The Beach, admitted students find representation, resources and reassurance
Published April 13, 2026
By
Wendy Thomas Russell
Campus Update
CSULB's fourth annual Day at The Beach event, a campus-wide open house and resource fair for newly admitted students, was held Saturday.
Before they ever step into a classroom, admitted students at Cal State Long Beach are already asking a bigger question: Can I see myself here?
At Saturday's Day at The Beach, that answer took shape in real time, as thousands of students and families moved through campus in search of direction, support and a sense of place.
In welcoming remarks at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, CSULB President Andrew Jones ‘82 — himself a first-generation college graduate — congratulated admitted students for being chosen from a pool of 110,000 applicants and promised their families not only excellent faculty and mentorship, but “a campus culture where students can bring their full selves, pursue big goals and know that they belong.
“Imagine,” he said, “what your future would look like here at The Beach.”
Image
CSULB President Andrew Jones addresses a packed audience at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid during this year's Day at The Beach.
Incoming business major Sarina Waite didn’t have to go far to do just that.
In a ballroom beneath the Pyramid, Waite found the annual Admitted Black Student Reception, featuring food, music, speeches and a ceremony honoring Black elders.
It’s so inviting here. Even on a simple Instagram page you can meet your best friend.
At one point, Daria Graham, associate vice president of Student Success and Engagement, asked guests to look around the room while the Black faculty, staff and students in attendance greeted them with a wave.
“Every hand that waved is part of your community,” she said. “Every hand that waved is part of your network. Every hand that waved is here for your success . . . It’s the difference between when someone says, ‘You are welcome,’ and when they give you the keys. Here are the keys.”
For Waite, the message resonated.
“I grew up in El Segundo — so a predominantly white area,” she said. “To be able to find another community where there are people that look like me, it’s definitely refreshing. It feels like a part of my identity can be more vibrantly shown.”
Image
Image
Image
Anaheim native Yousef Rizkalla, who plans to major in mechanical engineering, accompanied his friend Blen Zekarias-Dammena, an aspiring nurse. Zekarias-Dammena said she’d met Waite on an Instagram account for Class of 2030 students, and they jelled immediately.
"I was really scared coming in,” she said. “I was like, 'Oh my God, I’m not going to make friends.’ And then I connected with Sarina and I'm like, ‘That’s it.’”
It’s the difference between when someone says, ‘You are welcome,’ and when they give you the keys. Here are the keys.”
Waite agreed, crediting the university with creating so many inclusive spaces.
“It’s so inviting here,” she said. “Even on a simple Instagram page you can meet your best friend.”
That theme — of small but meaningful connections at an event of such scale — repeated itself throughout the day. Across campus, students spread out in every direction, moving between tents, classrooms and courtyards, touring labs and campus housing, loading up on CSULB merch at the bookstore. Along the way, they encountered student-led clubs and campus resources — from cultural centers and identity-based groups to first-generation programs, LGBTQ+ services, women-focused organizations and transfer support.
Image
Attendees could not have asked for better weather Saturday. Despite a forecast of possible rain, hundreds of tents, tours and talks remained outdoors.
At the admissions booth, where students could officially accept their offers, cowbells rang out each time someone made it official.
“Zayla! Zayla!” organizers cheered as a beaming Zayla Robinson, a transfer student from Morgan State University in Maryland, accepted her offer to study sociology.
“The communication and the resources have been amazing,” said her mother, Zanetta Robinson. “I was looking at the safety [as well as her potential for] cultural and academic success, and all of that seems to be here. I mean, it’s just a win-win. I love it.”
Imagine what your future would look like here at The Beach.
Nearby, Long Beach native Sofia Sund arrived with her parents and grandmother, already familiar with campus through years of visits and family ties.
"Something that really surprised me was the amount of people here to help with financial aid,” she said, adding that, despite scholarships, cost is still a concern. What comforted her was "actually being here and hearing them tell us they’re going to help.”
By the end of the day, those moments — of recognition, resources and reassurance — had done their work.
Students weren’t just imagining themselves at Cal State Long Beach.
They were choosing it.
Image
Make it official
Admitted to The Beach? Take the next step and accept your offer.
CONFIRM YOUR SPOT
Resources For Newly admitted students
About CSULB
Beach Connect Mobile App
Beach XP (Learning Communities)
Colleges and Departments
CSULB Mobile App
Discover Best-Fit Majors via MyMajors
Enrollment Services
Housing and Residential Life
Student Affairs Programs and Services
Student Clubs and Organizations
Related Articles
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Skip to main content
Open
Menu
Image
At Day at The Beach, admitted students find representation, resources and reassurance
Published April 13, 2026
By
Wendy Thomas Russell
Campus Update
CSULB's fourth annual Day at The Beach event, a campus-wide open house and resource fair for newly admitted students, was held Saturday.
Before they ever step into a classroom, admitted students at Cal State Long Beach are already asking a bigger question: Can I see myself here?
At Saturday's Day at The Beach, that answer took shape in real time, as thousands of students and families moved through campus in search of direction, support and a sense of place.
In welcoming remarks at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, CSULB President Andrew Jones ‘82 — himself a first-generation college graduate — congratulated admitted students for being chosen from a pool of 110,000 applicants and promised their families not only excellent faculty and mentorship, but “a campus culture where students can bring their full selves, pursue big goals and know that they belong.
“Imagine,” he said, “what your future would look like here at The Beach.”
Image
CSULB President Andrew Jones addresses a packed audience at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid during this year's Day at The Beach.
Incoming business major Sarina Waite didn’t have to go far to do just that.
In a ballroom beneath the Pyramid, Waite found the annual Admitted Black Student Reception, featuring food, music, speeches and a ceremony honoring Black elders.
It’s so inviting here. Even on a simple Instagram page you can meet your best friend.
At one point, Daria Graham, associate vice president of Student Success and Engagement, asked guests to look around the room while the Black faculty, staff and students in attendance greeted them with a wave.
“Every hand that waved is part of your community,” she said. “Every hand that waved is part of your network. Every hand that waved is here for your success . . . It’s the difference between when someone says, ‘You are welcome,’ and when they give you the keys. Here are the keys.”
For Waite, the message resonated.
“I grew up in El Segundo — so a predominantly white area,” she said. “To be able to find another community where there are people that look like me, it’s definitely refreshing. It feels like a part of my identity can be more vibrantly shown.”
Image
Image
Image
Anaheim native Yousef Rizkalla, who plans to major in mechanical engineering, accompanied his friend Blen Zekarias-Dammena, an aspiring nurse. Zekarias-Dammena said she’d met Waite on an Instagram account for Class of 2030 students, and they jelled immediately.
"I was really scared coming in,” she said. “I was like, 'Oh my God, I’m not going to make friends.’ And then I connected with Sarina and I'm like, ‘That’s it.’”
It’s the difference between when someone says, ‘You are welcome,’ and when they give you the keys. Here are the keys.”
Waite agreed, crediting the university with creating so many inclusive spaces.
“It’s so inviting here,” she said. “Even on a simple Instagram page you can meet your best friend.”
That theme — of small but meaningful connections at an event of such scale — repeated itself throughout the day. Across campus, students spread out in every direction, moving between tents, classrooms and courtyards, touring labs and campus housing, loading up on CSULB merch at the bookstore. Along the way, they encountered student-led clubs and campus resources — from cultural centers and identity-based groups to first-generation programs, LGBTQ+ services, women-focused organizations and transfer support.
Image
Attendees could not have asked for better weather Saturday. Despite a forecast of possible rain, hundreds of tents, tours and talks remained outdoors.
At the admissions booth, where students could officially accept their offers, cowbells rang out each time someone made it official.
“Zayla! Zayla!” organizers cheered as a beaming Zayla Robinson, a transfer student from Morgan State University in Maryland, accepted her offer to study sociology.
“The communication and the resources have been amazing,” said her mother, Zanetta Robinson. “I was looking at the safety [as well as her potential for] cultural and academic success, and all of that seems to be here. I mean, it’s just a win-win. I love it.”
Imagine what your future would look like here at The Beach.
Nearby, Long Beach native Sofia Sund arrived with her parents and grandmother, already familiar with campus through years of visits and family ties.
"Something that really surprised me was the amount of people here to help with financial aid,” she said, adding that, despite scholarships, cost is still a concern. What comforted her was "actually being here and hearing them tell us they’re going to help.”
By the end of the day, those moments — of recognition, resources and reassurance — had done their work.
Students weren’t just imagining themselves at Cal State Long Beach.
They were choosing it.
Image
Make it official
Admitted to The Beach? Take the next step and accept your offer.
CONFIRM YOUR SPOT
Resources For Newly admitted students
About CSULB
Beach Connect Mobile App
Beach XP (Learning Communities)
Colleges and Departments
CSULB Mobile App
Discover Best-Fit Majors via MyMajors
Enrollment Services
Housing and Residential Life
Student Affairs Programs and Services
Student Clubs and Organizations
Related Articles
This is a carousel. Use next and previous buttons to navigate.
April 9, 2026
CSULB Commencement 2026: Know before you go
The time is drawing nearer for about 10,000 of Cal State Long Beach graduates to celebrate with…
March 16, 2026
At CSULB, Pow Wow brings traditional songs, new voices and lasting bonds together
As it has for more than half a century, the CSULB Pow Wow at Puvungna gathered people together in…
February 6, 2026
'Feels like home': President-designate Blanchard visits campus
Cal State Long Beach’s next president, Loren J. Blanchard, introduced himself to campus Thursday…
January 23, 2026
CSULB Pow Wow at Puvungna celebrates Native American pride and culture
Cal State Long Beach’s longstanding tradition of celebrating Native American cultures continues…
December 15, 2025
2025 in Review: CSULB’s top stories of the year
With the end of 2025 approaching, we reflect on the accomplishments and memorable moments that…
December 2, 2025
Long Beach State Foundation board member Bob Foster led through service, philanthropy
Cal State Long Beach honors the life of Bob Foster, a former Long Beach mayor whose dedication to…
November 19, 2025
Long Beach State Athletics finalizes naming rights agreement for LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid
November 10, 2025
Beach Voices: Building systems of support for veterans
The U.S. Navy is where I got my cultural education. I call those four years my bachelor’s in life…
November 7, 2025
CSU Trustees to consider CSULB pyramid naming
October 6, 2025
CSULB opens doors, minds at Science LIVE!
Image
Science LIVE! turned CSULB's Hall of…
September 24, 2025
New CSULB President Andrew Jones '82 aims to lead 'through a student lens'
Andrew Jones graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1982, but his heart never left. For 36 years,…
September 22, 2025
CSULB begins new chapter as it breaks ground on $315M student union renovation and expansion
Image
President Andrew Jones '82 told…