Oh, the places you’ll go! (and people you’ll meet)

Being born and raised in the same city for your entire life makes it difficult to meet people that have a different background than you.

You become so accustomed to one place and group of people, you don’t take the time to stop and realize that there is so much more to experience.

My family and I were all born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There were a few times, if any, that we would leave the Pittsburgh area to experience a new location.

I didn’t realize what I was missing out on until I started university.

When I first started school, one of the first people I met was from another country. She was born in Brazil, and at the time lived across the state from me.

We talked for a short time throughout that night and hung out a few times after that.

Three years later, she is still one of my best friends.

Being friends with her allowed me to experience a different culture than mine. And I’m sure she can say the same about me.

Not only was I able to meet her, but I also met people from literally all over the world who I love and call my best friends to this day.

Some of them traveled to the United States from Senegal, Syria, Jamaica, Nigeria, China, and Italy to attend the same school as me.

It wasn’t until then when I noticed that students at my school represented more than 27 states in the country and almost 10 countries around the world.

People from different social, economic, and ethnic environments were all brought together to learn from each other both in and outside of the classroom.

The best part about it all is that although our place of birth and cultural background may be distinct, we find similarities between one other that brings us all together.

One of the best experiences for first-generation students is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

That is one of my big takeaways from attending college. I know that if I did not, I would have not come upon the chance to meet people from all over that easily.

If I were to stay home, I would not have been as knowledgable or experienced in economic and cultural backgrounds as I am now. I would have only known what I was surrounded by all my life.

Being at home made me feel comfortable. My comfort zone stopped me from discovering more than I could imagine.

Since starting school, I realized that I like being uncomfortable and that it’s a sign of growth.