I recall when in my senior year of high school when all my classmates were committing to college. All of my closest friends had decided, based on certain circumstances, that they had to stay home on Long Island. In fact, a lot of graduating class decided leaving familiar Long Island was too much to bear so many attended colleges near home. Yet, I was determined to leave my town because I was sure I could not grow and really challenge myself without leaving the familiarity I relied on. I knew Geneseo was the right place for this, especially with GLOBE ambitiously seeking to create a “holistic student experience.”
I was one of the few to go really far from home. Although it is in the same state I am seven hours from my hometown East Meadow, Long Island. The summer before college everyone is always asking “where are you going to college?” “what is your major?” and when I would tell them how far I am going they would become wide eyed. I knew there were many risks and challenges in going far away. There is missing my family and friends, not being close enough to home in case of emergencies, the unfamiliarity, not knowing anyone, a new way of living and the long drive. There were risks in living in a whole new place, I had never realized that there are two different cultures between Long Island and the generalized “upstate” area. As this year comes to an end, I have also seen the rewards of my choices. I went far from home but I have cultivated my growth as a student and person in ways I would not have if I had remained on Long Island. I have experienced a new environment, met so many new people that are often different than me but we are still friends. I have met other people from Long Island that have become dear friends I would have never known if I had not taken the risk to leave home. This course has made me realize that risks and rewards are not really two separate entities but they go hand in hand with each other. You cannot truly grow without taking risks. You cannot have the rewards without taking the risks.