For junior Vivian Vallely, Jan. 7 was supposed to be a fun day at Disneyland with her teammates. Vallely and her roommate returned to Pepperdine early from winter break to practice with the Women’s Swim & Dive team.
Instead, Vallely and her roommate would become part of the 45 confirmed Pepperdine students who lost their homes as a result of last week’s fires, according to the President’s Briefing Jan. 13.
“Pretty much the whole area around our house was surrounded by flames, and we were starting to lose hope a little bit,” Vallely said.
Vallely, who lived in Malibu, said she watched for updates throughout the day, but wasn’t too worried since the flames seemed far from her off-campus apartment. As the team returned to campus though, PCH was closed and the fire was within one mile of Vallely’s apartment.
Vallely said she later received a text from her landlord that the apartment building was gone. Since then, she has been home in Orange County, where her Pepperdine roommate soon joined her.
Vallely said she reached out to the Student Care Team, who quickly sent both her and her roommate emergency fund money. The two have also received immense support from the Swim & Dive families at Pepperdine, various influencers and other universities’ Swim & Dive programs.
“We’ve had so much come in, and we’re definitely going to donate some ourselves because we have more than we need,” Vallely said. “We have the entire Swim and Dive community behind us, which is amazing. So many teams like Fresno State, University of San Diego, UCSD and Clovis Swim Club — they all opened their doors to our team.”
In the aftermath of losing their home, Vallely said she and her roommate weighed various options for what to do moving forward. The two will soon be moving in with two of their teammates who have an extra room.
“We felt like since we had that option, we wanted to leave whatever on-campus housing they have for people that don’t necessarily have that option so they can have somewhere to go,” Vallely said.
Pepperdine is offering support for students who have been affected by the wildfires. Connie Horton, vice president of Student Affairs, said student support can be broken down into three main areas: Student Care Team, mental and physical health, and Pepperdine’s Housing and Residence Life. The Student Care Team serves as the main point of contact for any students suffering from loss, displacement and other fire-related issues, Horton said.
Horton said much of the work is in trying to understand the needs of the students and provide immediate financial support while the Student Care Team works with students to sort out their long-term care.
“Whether you’ve had some damage, whether you’ve lost everything, whether you’ve been displaced, we can help,” Horton said.
The Student Care Team and HRL are working with students who are requesting emergency housing on campus, whether temporarily or long-term, Horton said. Pepperdine is offering emergency housing for up to seven days through a scholarship that allows students to stay on campus free of charge while they develop other housing arrangements.
For long-term housing, there are current structures in place to rehouse students who have lost their homes and decide if they would like to live on campus, Horton said. If finances are a concern, Pepperdine is offering a significant reduction in fees to help students and refer them to other services as needed.
In the area of physical and mental health care for students, Horton said she recommends that students utilize the Counseling Center and Student Health Center.
For those affected by the fires, Horton said a lot of processing and healing is to be expected for the next few months. Whether students are suffering cognitively or residentially, the Pepperdine community is prepared to help alleviate some of the burden.
Vallely said throughout this process, even the smallest acts have meant the most to her and her roommate — she has felt so grateful for everything everyone has been willing to give.
“It’s kind of hard to remember everything that we had and to buy everything back,” Vallely said. “But I mean, we have enough for now to get us through, and it’s going to be a long process — it’s not really something we can do all right now.”
Vallely said she advises other students in similar situations to take it day by day, knowing that some days will be harder than others. Additionally, she has found comfort in knowing she’s not alone and suggests others accept whatever help they might need.
“I’m a firm believer in how everything happens for a reason, and this is just another life lesson that I’m going to learn and grow so much from,” Vallely said. “At the end of the day, it’s just things that are gone, and I’m so blessed to have such a great family and support system and friends around me.”
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Contact Amanda Monahan via email: amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu
Contact Ava Heinert via email: ava.heinert@pepperdine.edu
