Fires rage, with high winds helping the flames spread and set everything in their path ablaze. Los Angeles citizens’ houses and livelihoods are being burnt to the ground, and in the middle of it all is a group of Miami University students.
Over 2,100 miles from Oxford, 16 students and two professors are navigating the wildfires spreading across Los Angeles that have forced nearly 180,000 citizens to evacuate, killed five people and burned across almost 29,000 acres, according to AP News.
The Miami students and professors were staying in Toluca Hills in apartments within sight of the Warner Bros. studio as part of Miami’s Inside Hollywood program. The program sends students to Los Angeles for three weeks over J-Term to make connections with people in the entertainment industry and gain hands-on experiences.
There’s one experience this year’s group will have that other won’t: traversing a natural disaster.
Katie Caleodis, a junior media and communications major, woke up from a nap on Jan. 8 bombarded with news about the fires just north of her apartment. At that moment, she said she felt safe but thought the group would move soon if they were in any danger.
Just the day before, Caleodis said meetings and events were getting canceled because of power outages and people having to leave work to evacuate. Caleodis said the group was never in an evacuation zone but left Toluca Hills on the night of Jan. 8 to be safe.
The 16 students and two professors drove to Anaheim, California with the help of students finding the quickest route. They were able to avoid abandoned cars and backed-up traffic and got to their hotel before midnight.
Caleodis said the students banded together to get through the stressful time that has been the last few days.
“I came in not knowing anybody, and now my group has been the people I’ve relied on,” Caleodis said. “I feel more comfortable knowing that these people know my situation. I think it’s definitely been good [to have other Miami students on the trip] to stay positive because we’re all kind of in the same boat.”
When Grayson Ritts, a senior media and communications major, stepped outside his apartment on Jan. 8, his attention immediately went to the ominous cloud of smoke that blocked out the sun.
Up to that point, the group had done everything they planned to do. They had met many Miami alumni, were part of a live audience for “After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson” and toured the Paramount studio. Now, they are buying masks so they can walk around outside.
Ritts said he expected himself to be worried about the situation, but he trusted the professors, Andy Rice and Kerry Hegarty, to make the right decisions for all the students.
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“Usually, I’m a big stressor when it comes to things like this, but I knew that we'd be able to figure something out,” Ritts said.
Rosemary Pennington, chair of the media, journalism and film department that houses the program, said Rice and Hegarty are doing the best they can in the circumstances to make sure students are safe and still learning.
“It’s a natural disaster, and no one can plan for that,” Pennington said.” The professors who are out there are trying really hard to figure out how this can still be a good experience for those students.”
Pennington said Rice has spent extended time in California and has experience in natural disasters like this one. Pennington added that the professors are prioritizing the students over any events.
“Our main concern is the safety and well being of the students,” Pennington said. “I’ve been in conversation with both professors, just kind of getting a sense of how they’re feeling, how the students seem to be feeling and again, trying to make sure we're making the best decisions for the students.”
The group is currently set to stay in California and continue their planned events when it is safe to do so.
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