University of the Pacific students unable to go home get Thanksgiving meal on campus
STOCKTON - College students at the University of the Pacific who couldn't head home for Thanksgiving still got a warm meal on campus.
For some, being around others was something to be thankful for.
This Thanksgiving holiday, the campus is bare at the University of the Pacific as many students went home for the holidays to spend time with family.
And for the few dozen that remained on campus, they got to celebrate as well.
"It's fun, I like it and it's free food," a student said.
The campus served a Thanksgiving luncheon to students unable to go home for the holidays.
Nick and Melanie, who are brother and sister, decided to come out and support others.
"We actually saw the Instagram post too, so I forwarded it to him to go out because our family isn't celebrating today. So it was a good time to come out," Melanie said.
"We're having our Thanksgiving with our family tomorrow, so it's a good time to like be more involved with the school and support," Nick said.
While others, like Manuel and Kolton, said the prices for a flight were a little over their student budget.
"Being from Spain, and being an international student, I can't afford to go back home for Thanksgiving break, so I decided to just stay here and focus on my study," Manual said.
"The flights are too expensive, didn't do it, but I'll be home for Christmas," Kolton said.
But there are those who just can't go home.
Ranamar is a student-athlete on campus whose family is from Israel. He said although he is thankful for the meal, his heart is still back at home as he worries about the war.
"It's really tough to be here right now," he said. "I know a lot of people that died. Not died, murdered. So it's very tough. I want to be back home. I won't lie, so I wouldn't say count the days, but trying to be in the present and can't wait to come back home."
Overall, around 170 students, both international and domestic, came out to share a meal together and are thankful for each other's company.
