Students, Faculty Navigate Housing Losses
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.
