Going to college is terrifying, at least for me it was. It was so foreign, the idea of leaving the only house I had ever lived in, leaving my family, my friends, filled me with fear and anxiety. But now, so much has changed. I’m in my junior year of college at Manchester, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. But before I decided on Manchester, my parents and I had a laundry list of sorts of what I wanted in a school, in a new home.

Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do with my life, and in high school, the idea of having to choose a major, and choose a career was stressful, to say the least. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to help people, I wanted to make a difference. However, it was like I had the option to major in helping people, or so I thought. When I visited Manchester, I found Peace Studies, and instantly I knew this was where I needed to be. I had never heard about, or visited a school that so welcoming. It felt like a place where I, and others, could be our true selves, our best selves.

Manchester is a place where you can grow, branch out, and bloom. It’s diverse in ways not visible to the eye, or to an outsider. You can be friends with anyone here, and you will be welcomed for who you truly are, an international student, someone who identifies as LGBTQA+, of any gender identity, any race or ethnicity, religion, socio-economic class, etc. You can play a sport, you can play a instrument, you can have rainbow colored hair, you can be anyone you want.

College is about finding yourself, and I talked about how I found myself at Manchester in my last blog, however almost everyone I’ve talked to found themselves here.

Lawrence Neumann is a junior Art major, and an Resident Assistant on campus. He’s also my best friend. Like most college students, Lawrence has had his ups and downs, and has grown and matured along the way. I asked him how he felt about Manchester one day, his reply was “Manchester is an open and accepting haven for everybody. You really can be anyone you want to be.” He told me how he felt welcomed and embraced at Manchester.

College isn’t just education, it’s also life experiences, it’s mistakes and mess ups, and wonderful moments with friends. It’s also one of the best decisions I ever made. It’s about being who you really are, and figuring out who you are, so go somewhere where you can be yourself. Luckily, for me, that was Manchester. 

Hannah Brown '18 is from Yellow Springs, Ohio. She is majoring in Peace Studies with a focus on Social Justice. She also works as a Student Ambassador at Manchester.