Breyenne Pierce wasn't sure UC Merced was for her.
The Turlock High graduate had followed her passion for water polo to Sierra College in Rocklin. As she was concluding her community college experience, she started looking for a four-year university to complete her degree.
"Honestly, I didn't want to go back home," she said. "I enjoyed being at Sierra. Even though it was two hours away, it was far enough to really spread my wings."
She also wanted to continue playing water polo and wasn't sure she wanted to end her college career with a team in transition. UC Merced was admitted to NCAA Division II in 2024, and the team is in its first year of competition at that level.
"But just talking to the coach and the girls on the team, I realized I had the opportunity to grow more as a water polo player," she said. "Because we are in such a transition period, the coaching staff is open to trying new things."
Pierce, a utility player, found the environment at UC Merced to be a great fit.
"I was in FFA and 4H growing up," she said. "A lot of my childhood was ag-centered, and it was great to be able to be around land again.
"Our campus is off the beaten path. I like that I can look past the parking lot and see cows and the lake."
And the proximity to home turned out to be an asset for the management and business economics major.
"When I get homesick, I can go home, and when I get sick of home, I can come back," said Pierce, who lives off campus in Merced. "And my parents can come to my games."
Because her family lives in Denair, "it's a straight shot down Santa Fe Avenue."
"I liked the idea of being able to be close to family but far enough that I could still do my own thing," Pierce said.
For Pierce, doing her own thing after graduation in the spring will hopefully include working in a coffee shop with an eye toward opening her own one day, and continuing her involvement in water polo, possibly moving into coaching or officiating.
While she isn't against the idea of one day moving out of the area, for now, she wants to stay local.
"I really want to help grow water polo in the Central Valley."
For students from the northern San Joaquin Valley considering UC Merced, she advised, "Just don't write it off because it's close to home. I think a lot of people want to go to school far from home. But I've met so many new people, and there are a lot of clubs and things to do here."
When she initially arrived on campus as a transfer student, she said she struggled a bit.
"I didn't know when I got here all the things available to me," she said. "I do wish I'd gotten a little more involved right away."
And that's her biggest piece of advice for incoming Bobcats: See what opportunities are out there.
"Get involved in anything that sounds fun. It doesn't hurt to go to a meeting and decide that maybe that club isn't for you," Pierce said. "Go to things - sporting events, karaoke nights, movie nights. Go and meet people."
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