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Both students filled those bonus hours with friends, Chapel, games, studying, jobs and even a nap or two. They took advantage of resources like the Commuter House and Commuter Lounge—which offer TV, video consoles, kitchen basics and comfy seating—and fit in tutoring sessions and visits to professors during office hours.

But it wasn’t always easy to occupy the extra time. “It was hard at first, but I’ve just learned to appreciate the campus more,” says Manzo, who is a leader in the university’s Women’s Ministry. “There are things for me to do.”

“Sometimes it is overwhelming,” says Maina, who works two campus jobs in the mailroom and cafeteria. “But I am determined to become a nurse.”

Though Maina and Manzo share the characteristics of commute and class standing, they are a world apart in other ways. Maina was born and raised in Kenya, coming to the U.S. and ������Ƶֱ�� to pursue her dream. Manzo is a graduate of Woodlake High School in Tulare County and hopes to become a teacher.

They met at last year’s freshman retreat but—despite those long hours on campus—crossed paths infrequently after that.

An international connection

Maina was born in Nakuru and moved as a child to Nairobi, Kenya’s largest and capital city. She went through the country’s school system and was starting college when the COVID pandemic hit.

She decided to take a break and, as COVID wound down, began volunteering with the Kenyan Red Cross in information technology. Maina also agreed to be on call to assist with tragedies and disasters ranging from traffic accidents to flooding.

“I got interested in nursing when I was with the Red Cross,” she says. Maina was inspired to look at colleges in the United States because a cousin moved here to study in New York.

“But I wanted to go to California,” she adds. Part of the attraction was her aunt, a nurse, who lives in Hanford.

“I didn’t know that much about the U.S. and my aunt could guide me,” Maina says. Attending a Christian university also was important.

In the U.S. and the Central Valley, Maina had adjustments to make: the weather (more extreme heat and cold than Kenya) and food (Americans love cheese), for example. But her grueling schedule was perhaps the greatest challenge.

She commuted on most days with her aunt, who works in Chowchilla. Maina woke up around 4:00 a.m., prepared for class and reached campus around 5:10 or 5:20 a.m.

She worked on assignments, or sometimes napped, before her 7:55 a.m. class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Her commute was similar on Tuesdays; on Thursdays she usually took the train and a city bus to accommodate a later class schedule.

In addition to classes, Maina worked about 20 hours a week in the campus mail room and cafeteria (including weekends) to help pay tuition. Leaving campus, when schedules permitted, Maina’s aunt picked her up on the way home from Chowchilla.

When schedules didn’t mesh, Maina took a bus to the Amtrak station in downtown Fresno and then rode the train to Hanford. Some days, her aunt or uncle would pick her up in Hanford after 10:00 p.m.

Sleep deprivation, and little time for a social life, were real consequences of the long days. Maintaining that kind of schedule “takes passion for what you are doing because giving up is easy,” Maina says. “It takes commitment.”

Appreciating and adapting

Both Manzo and Maina praised the patience and dedication of university professors as they look to their sophomore years. This fall, however, they may spend fewer hours on campus because both hope to earn driver’s licenses over the summer.

“Hopefully by August I will be driving to school,” Maina says.