Alaskan Adventure

A CB student used to live in The Great Land but has recently moved to The Golden State.

Many CB students travel many miles to attend the home of the Falcons, but one student in particular has traveled quite the distance.

“I was actually born in Alaska,” Ayden Carroll (‘16) shares. “When I was a baby, I moved down to Sacramento, then when I was 12, I moved back to Alaska to get the whole ‘Alaskan Experience’.”

He described the Alaskan Experience as a chance to “get out of your comfort zone, become outdoorsy, and man up.”

But Ayden’s time in Homer, Alaska proved to be quite different than life in the big city of Sacramento.

“Where I’m from is a lot smaller of a town, so if you were walking down the street, you’d recognize a few people.”

But living in a smaller city was not the only difference.

“There is definitely a big weather change,” the sophomore shares, “Sometimes you had to shovel your driveway before you went somewhere.”

Although the city size and weather changes do take getting used to, the biggest difference is the community.

“The people are the biggest difference,” he shares. “There is a lot more common courtesy and a better sense of community.”

Ayden has traveled back and forth from Alaska and California for much of his life, and has become a professional to adapting to new situations.

“I’ve learned to adapt to getting to know people better and to fitting in,” he says.

Even though he is a pro at the moving game, leaving home is always hard.

“When we moved up, it was for me to get the Alaskan Experience, but since everything is shipped up there, it’s really expensive, so we ended up moving back,” he tells, ““I made some of the best friends possible up in Alaska, they are too great to pass up.”

The Talon couldn’t help but ask the question of which was better, Alaska or California?

“That’s kind of a bittersweet question. I love Alaska, it’s in my blood, but I do like California,” he explains, “I have great friends and my family down here, but Alaska is so beautiful.

Leaving the place you called home for so long is never easy, but luckily for Ayden he doesn’t have to say goodbye forever.

“I’m probably gonna try to go back and visit again soon,” Ayden shares.