Regional Differences Across California

Here in Sacramento, delegates from all over California gather to learn the ropes of governance and explore the different aspects of an American republic. Therein lies the secret beauty of the program: the clash of regional differences. Every individual has a different experience. Learning about our fellow delegates and getting to know them deeply helps promote the connected camaraderie of being a California citizen. Today, the culture team interviewed a couple of our delegates to gauge their thoughts on this topic.

Jillian McCarthy, for example, comes from a southern California agricultural community in Los Angeles County called Thousand Oaks. A cultural difference is its city-wide events like the annual Cajun Festival; It is filled with rides, booths, and food that a majority of the population attends. Jillian has noticed that here at CBGS, people enjoy hanging out in different places around campus while also picking different dining options. She has also found a major difference: people are from very opposite locations, some being rural communities, while others are city communities.

In contrast, Avery Chang is from Chino Hills, in Southern California. The town is known for its cultural diversity, mostly its large Hispanic and Asian populations. Chino Hills High School is known for the Ball brothers, who are famous basketball players who now play in the NBA. From Korean assemblies to Taiwanese night markets, immigrant traditions are what make up the community's culture. Avery noticed that people coming from predominantly white areas are often surprised by the distinct ethnic backgrounds here at CBGS. 

Harveen Brar (see image 1), a delegate from Fresno in central California, similarly notes that while there isn’t much to explore (except the “Costco in the middle of nowhere” and the movie theater), she enjoys participating in Punjabi festivals like Vaisakhi and Holi. She, too, was surprised at the different ethnicities and activities everyone had done.

Shermin Abbasi (see image 1)  from southern California’s Orange County likes to celebrate the Persian New Year, aka Nowruz, with her family. She found the different cultures in CBGS to be amazing. “Everyone is so unique, so different, and so cool. I wasn’t expecting so many different backgrounds here,” she exclaimed.

Moreover, Kadence Smith (see image 2) from the city of Windsor in Sonoma County in the northern part of California, enjoys the movies her park holds every Tuesday and the concerts her park holds every Thursday during the summer. Notably, she loves the temperate weather of her region.

“There’s good weather in Sonoma County,” she stated. “I’ve also noticed the way other people talk about the weather is different. Like for me, 70° is warm in the north while it's an ‘ok’ temperature in the south.”

While every delegate may be different, everyone shares a common goal in that they are all here to learn. Delegates are gaining a better understanding of the world around us during CBGS and connecting with our fellow peers, forming friendships that will last a lifetime.

As Harveen Brar commented, “There are so many different things out there, and I get to be exposed to what everybody is up to.”