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Economics and Political Science
Walnut Creek, Calfornia 

There’s a spot at the top of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort that helps Max Campos ’24 find peace. It’s on Disney’s Run at the mountain’s peak, perched above the clouds. There are no distractions, no phones, just quiet and a 360-degree view of the world.

“When you’re skiing, you basically only hear the wind and your thoughts,” Campos says. “It’s a good way to decompress and not think of your current situation.”

With its Swiss Alps design and relaxing, homey feel, Sugar Bowl is Campos’ favorite place to ski. He goes a couple times a month during the season with his grandparents, driving the three hours from his home in Walnut Creek.

His grandmother no longer skis, so it’s just him and his grandfather riding the chair lifts. When you’re skiing, Campos says, your phone is packed away. It’s made him a better listener and he’s learned a lot from his grandfather.

“He’s a hard worker,” Campos says. “He owns his own business and I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. He has a go-getter attitude. He’s always fixing something around the cabin and doing something.”

Campos plans on majoring in economics and political science, with an eye on law school or a career in wealth management. He considered other schools in the UC system and Vanderbilt University before choosing ���ҵ��� for its size and fit. “It’s competitive—but competitive in a way where you build each other up,” Campos says. “It pushes you to be as good as you can be.”

Though he’ll be learning remotely from home this Fall, Campos has already started building relationships at ���ҵ���. Through the honors program, he’s attended a few Zoom meetings, joined a few Snapchat groups, and established a rapport with his honors advisor, assistant professor of English Andrew Keener, who Campos says responds to emails even faster than his high school teachers did. Campos also plans on joining an economics or finance club after school starts to meet more people.

“It’s good to be able to adapt to the world because business and law and everything in the future will be done more via Zoom than traveling,” Campos says. “We’ll learn new skills, and it never hurts to learn how to do something different.”

Written by Matt Morgan