Gladys Torres Avalos

I had been to Berkeley once before, but as a recruited water polo athlete — this was much different from my second experience visiting. I remember it clearly; as I stood in UC Berkeley, looking at the school for the first time from a student’s perspective, what was in front of me did not coincide with what I had been led to envision as an athlete at the school. My naivete had gotten the best of me — I expected the college town of Berkeley to mimic my neighboring college town of Westwood.

I have a very confusing digital footprint. On “Toontown,” I was Clarence Nuttynugget. On “Neopets,” I was wumbo123. On “The Sims 2,” I was Tina and Bob Jensen, the rich, happily married couple, and I was Razor Skooter, the next-door neighbor who burned down their kitchen during a “Snoozer” birthday party. There was no limit to the amount of identities I could create for myself online, and with each sign-up confirmation email I received for a virtual community, I felt a rush of adrenaline.

Luckily, there’s no need to wait until November to get the ball rolling on midterm elections. With the June primaries just around the corner, voters should be getting ready to enact change in both their local and state communities. For Alameda County, there are measures on the June 5 ballot that could impact everything from climbing the peaks on Mount Whitney to riding Caltrain through the Santa Clara Valley. Don’t forget that every vote matters — just take a look at Proposition 71.