STOCKTON, Calif. — On a campus where classroom conversations often compete with the sound of a 61-year-old bell tower, Thursday, you could hear a leaf drop on the empty walkways at Stockton's University of the Pacific.
But inside the DeRosa Center, the conversations continued.
"We have a very traditional menu," said Josh O'Connor, assistant Vice President of Student Life. "Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry, salad—all the sides. And we have pumpkin pie and apple pie for dessert."
Josh and a staff of volunteers spent all Thursday morning cooking the traditional foods for a holiday that more than 200 students are celebrating in a non-traditional way.
"We have a lot of international students and out-of-state students who are unable to go home, so we are hosting Thanksgiving for them here," said O'Connor.
This year, there are plenty of them. According to the college, enrollment this semester set a record. There are now more people attending UOP than at any time in its 173-year history.
"Every year it gets larger and larger," said O'Connor of the 15-year luncheon tradition. "This is actually our largest Thanksgiving lunch, with a total of 210 students."
Student athlete Kelly Contreras was one of those students-- unable to leave campus for the three-day break.
"I'm from LA," said Contreras. "I'm a very family-oriented person, and not being with my family today, it's a little hard to take that in. It's something I have to sacrifice. Thankfully, I have my friends here. I have a couple of friends who stayed."
There were plenty of friends at Contreras' table to help eat the wealth of free food.
"I definitely feel like the turkey and mashed potatoes were really good," said Contreras. "It was made very well—everything was very good."
This may be only his third Thanksgiving, but Manuel Varragan Garcia agrees.
"I'm from Spain. I'm from a city called Elche," said Varragan Garcia. "I'm very thankful for UOP for having a Thanksgiving meal for us students who stay here and can not afford to leave school... I feel very supported here."
Flavorful food and strong fellowship filled the quiet campus Thursday with the appropriate feeling of Thanksgiving.
"It's something that I really enjoyed," said Contreras. "I'm proud of saying, 'I'm from UOP.'"
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