Northland is home for me and has been since I first got to come to campus during one of the Visit Days in 2019 prior to enrolling. Truthfully, I think I knew it the moment I spoke to my admissions counselor. You see, I’ve moved around a lot in my life, and none of those places ever truly felt like home. I formed connections and saw beauty in my surroundings, but it always felt like something was missing.
When I was searching for colleges, I knew I wanted something small. At the time I was interested in geology, and my counselor set up a time for me to call and speak with Tom Fitz. The way he spoke about Northland and about the geology of the region sparked something, and though I quickly discovered that I don’t have a penchant for science and actually just like looking at the shiny crystals, I was able to find a safe place to land in the writing department.
The community embraced me, and I finally got the opportunity to explore and truly discover who I am. I’ve made friends who I’ll never forget and have enough happy memories to last multiple lifetimes. I went through some rough times and wasn’t the best student, but it never felt like my professors had given up on me. I’ve taken the things I’ve learned from them and from all of the amazing students, faculty, and members of the greater Ashland area to heart. I’ve passed stories to new friends around me and most of them laugh and say they wish they’d heard about Northland when they were searching for schools. My heart aches for the Northland community right now, but I know that we can do this because I’ve seen the brilliance present on that campus and in the area.
