Admissions Associate Deja’ Haley, sophomore Manu Rapaport ’25 and other members of the admissions team sent a voluntary poll to the Lick-Wilmerding High School community to track the commutes to and from LWHS. Results from those that filled out the poll, around 60% of LWHS students, revealed that over 130 (over 20%) of students utilized Bay Area Raoid Transit (BART) in at least one part of their commute to school, excluding those who did not fill out the poll and FacStaff. In addition, students take BART from 24 different stations that range from San Francisco, the East Bay and South Bay.
The admissions team utilizes LWHS’ prime location near Balboa Park BART station to attract students from all over the Bay Area.
“Lick-Wilmerding High School develops the head, heart and hands of highly motivated students from all walks of life,” reads an excerpt from the familiar LWHS mission statement that resounds true to both LWHS faculty and students. LWHS Financial Aid Officer Emily Fung quoted the LWHS mission statement to highlight one of the most influential and core elements of the LWHS community: BART. “I think it’s really beneficial that we have such a commutable school, and I think it’s really good for Lick because in our mission we state that we hope to attract students from all walks of life and our location enables us to do just that,” Fung said.
Haley added to this sentiment, describing how accessibility is a determining factor in prospective students’ decision to apply to LWHS. “A lot of prospective families ask about the commute and I always tell them that the location of Lick is essential for people coming from outside San Francisco, because we’re right off an expressway, we’re right next to BART and there are five or six Muni lines right around the area. We are a very accessible school,” she said.
Saskia Lee ’25 commutes from Oakland. She confirmed Haley’s thoughts on BART’s role in the application and decision process. “[BART] was a big part of my decision because it made commuting very convenient,” she said.
Lee also talked about building relationships with her classmates and making friends through taking BART. “I think common time spent on BART with people who live near me ended up connecting me to a lot of my best friends at LWHS,” she said.
In addition, Haley hopes to utilize the data collected from the poll to help more students connect through their commutes. “I think sharing a commute is a great way for new friendships to be made. You don’t always know who is traveling from your same zip code because not everyone already knows each other, but I think [sharing the data with the community] is a great way to start to build those connections,” she said.
photo by Charlotte Hahm
Both students and faculty alike recognize BART as playing a key role in their LWHS experience, between applying, making connections and immersing themselves into the community.
José Perez, a math teacher at LWHS, enjoys taking BART to and from work. “It’s definitely better than driving, especially through traffic, because I can read, sleep or work on BART which I can’t do while driving,” he said. Perez also highlighted the eco-friendly aspect of taking public transportation.
Riding BART allows passengers to read, do homework, sleep and more, making the commute a flexible period for students to relax. Alec Miyashita ’24 remarked that his favorite aspect of taking BART is the time he has to unwind. “I love being able to put on my music and forget about the stress I have from my day. It’s also a nice time alone to chill out and recharge.”
LWHS faculty and admin recognize BART’s great impact on the community and are continuously working on ways to make BART more accessible to students.
In 2013, the Financial Aid Office at LWHS began implementing a program that provides aid for BART for commuting students that qualify for financial aid. “We realized that some students and families were struggling to commute to school, so we decided to offer more support to families with students who take BART,” Fung said. This program makes BART more accessible to students by covering the costs of transportation to and from LWHS.
BART reaches and attracts students from all across the Bay Area and brings them together at LWHS. LWHS’ diverse community revolves around its proximity to BART, and the transbay train impacts students in deeper ways and helps them form and build relationships with others from the community.
