I think before I tell you about my findings from this project, it’s important to tell you some of my own story. I asked people personal questions about their lives, and they opened up and shared with me so I think it’s important I do the same. I grew up in Jamestown, RI which is a small island of about 5,000 people. For those that are unfamiliar with this small state, Jamestown borders Newport and North Kingstown (via bridges) and is about thirty-five minutes from Providence. I think much (if not all) of my appreciation for the environment came from growing up in this place. 

My backyard was the ocean. I remember running around with my siblings and flipping over rocks looking for crabs. Our friends lived one street away, and we spent much of our childhood holding crab races and seaweed wars on kayaks. I think when people picture beaches, they picture a soft sandy beach with crystal clear water but this was not the case. The beach consisted of grainy sand and rocks covered in barnacles, and the ocean was full of seagrass and seaweed. I think in that sense, this type of beach environment made the experience more fun for me. I loved snorkeling through the grass, and feeling the salt on my skin. At one point when we were little we had a huge raft that we would anchor to the ground, and then everyone would pile onto it and float. 

Even our school science curriculum was centered around our island. In middle school for science class we would walk down to the beach (~a half mile away) and we’d take pH, water conductivity, and salinity tests while wearing waders. In middle school I also ran cross country, and for runs we would run to local beaches, pick up a rock, and bring it back. By the end of the season our teacher/coach would have a huge collection of rocks in his room.  

Life was simple. Everyone knew each other, and kids could go unsupervised. From a young age my siblings, friends, and I would bike around the island. The island consisted of the North End (where we lived) and the actual “town” on the other side of the island. The “town” is one gas station, the library, an elementary and middle school, one grocery store, and a street lined with a few restaurants and a hardware store. My parents divorced when I was about seven and half the time I ended up living on the town side of the island, and the other half in my childhood home on the North End. 

I went from preschool to eighth grade with the same forty or so kids on the island (two of which were my brother and sister because I am a triplet). Jamestown doesn’t have a high school because it is so small, so for high school we went to North Kingstown which was the next town over. In tenth grade both of my parents moved to North Kingstown after selling the house they owned together. My parents both still live close to the ocean- my dad’s house is about two minutes away walking, and my mom about fifteen minutes biking. I think I will always be partial to Jamestown because I lived there for the first fifteen years of my life, but North Kingstown has its own advantages. My mom moved a mile and a half away from my grandparents house, so I was able to see them much more frequently. When I’m home I still often run to their house to say hello. At my mom’s I also like biking on the bike path nearby that ends at a beach, or going to Goddard park and running on beautiful trails there in the woods. We also go snowshoeing on different trails in my town in the winter, and my dad is within walking distance to Wickford, which is a small village with cute shops. 

When I was in 9th or 10th grade, I was told by a close family friend that I should consider Vassar for college. I googled it and thought that I would never consider it when the time came because it just seemed weird. Fast forward to the end of junior year, and I decided to visit Vassar and go on a tour. The moment that the tour started, I just had this feeling come over me that I had to go here. It was unlike any school I had ever seen, and at this point I had been on about twenty college tours. Whenever one of my siblings wanted to look at a school we all had to go. My sister was also going through the recruiting process at schools, so we went to many different places. Vassar was just different, and I loved the weirdness about it. I wanted it to be my school, not my siblings. I even told my brother he couldn’t apply (that was selfish of me but it worked out, he got into Dartmouth which was his dream school). I became very determined to get into Vassar, I even remember making a “how to get into Vassar” checklist. The day I got my decision, I remember I was at rehearsal and the email notification came across my phone. I ran out of the room to go get my laptop to see the admissions decision. Going to Vassar ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. 

One of my favorite places at Vassar is Joss, which was my dorm freshman year. Joss is where I met many of my future best friends and we spent countless hours in each other’s rooms just hanging out or doing schoolwork together. I also think Joss has that Vassar feel, of old yet homey buildings. I especially would never want to be placed in Noyes or Jewett. I lived in Davi my second year, and although the dorm was beyond clean, and we never had mice problems, Joss much more embodies what Vassar is to me. 

Another place I love is the Deece (I’m still upset it got renamed to Gordon Commons and people have actually started calling it that!). During pre-pandemic times, my teammates and I would all squeeze into a table to eat almost every meal together. It was a great place for social interaction. Much of my time spent at Vassar was spent at the Deece. 

I also can’t imagine Vassar without the farm. There are so many trails, and I have loved exploring them over the years- especially during this COVID semester. All of my classes are online, so I have spent a lot more time than usual in my house and/or room. Walking or running at the farm is very relaxing, and it’s nice to have a change of scenery. I also think the farm is so unique to Vassar- how many other colleges have a farm?! 

This is such an unpopular opinion, but I also love the THs. Every single house that any of my teammates, friends, or I have lived in has become an essential part of my Vassar experience. Many of my friends have graduated and no longer live in their former THs, but I still will pass their houses and feel like they would be inside if I walked through the door. 

Vassar to me is my friends that I met here. I can be hundreds of miles away from campus, but if I’m with my friends I’m at Vassar. I also think that Vassar is a space that is unlike any other. People are nice, funny, academically driven, and have this incredible quirkiness about them. My friends from my hometown always say to me; “Oh that’s so Vassar” when I tell a story or share something that is happening. And maybe it’s because they all went to bigger schools and had more typical college experiences, but I wouldn’t trade mine for the world. I am glad everything about Vassar is “so Vassar”.