A wall of windows, floor to ceiling, frames the Pacific like a living painting. The late afternoon sun turns the water to hammered gold, and somewhere far out, a cargo ship glides toward the horizon.

The cafeteria is half-empty this time of day. Students cluster in small groups, their voices a low hum beneath the clatter of trays and the distant crash of waves against the school's foundations.

The air smells like salt and fresh bread and something citrusy—lemon, maybe, from the cleaning solution used on the granite countertops.

A tall, narrow sign near the entrance reads: St. Cuthbert's University — Est. 2024. Welcome, Pioneers.