Purdue

If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be in West Lafayette, Indiana, I would have called you crazy. Yet, here I am today, sitting in my dorm after the first week of classes, writing a blog post about it all. Even though it has only been 2 weeks of living on campus, a lot has happened that I am excited to share with you all!

Last summer, I went to Chicago to attend the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference (which I wrote about here!). On this trip, I visited Purdue. I found the surrounding location to be less than optimal, to say the least. Yet, I ended up liking the campus overall. It is an old campus, but there is a certain charm to it all. The greenery on campus reminded me of home. Little did I know that just a year later I would call this place home. 

When we landed this time, I had very few expectations. Endless cornfield jokes from my friends, the fear of living on my own, the fear of losing connections with the people I cared about, and more. Change is scary, and I was afraid. This fear had paralyzed me, and I was afraid to accept this place as my future. I was stuck living in the past, not prepared for the future. 

However, I have begun to find my footing here. The campus is beautiful and the greenery reminds me of home. The old buildings from the Civil War era are intertwined and mixed with innovative modern buildings that paint a beautiful canvas. As a Seattlite who once asked my mom what the sun was as a baby, the constant sun is a welcome sight for sure (although the heat is excessive at times). It’s a beautiful place and while it isn’t quite home yet, it is wonderful.

As I recently became an adult, figuring out things has been a little challenging. On my first day of class, I almost missed my Physics class while on my second day, I got off at the wrong bus stop. I even called my dad right before he was boarding the plane to ask him about laundry (even though I had done laundry before). I have skipped a meal or two. It feels like I am caught in a hurricane of things happening to me right now and am simply struggling to hold on, whether it’s exciting or not is up to how well I adjust.

What has made this experience for me so far is the friends I have made already on campus. My orientation group has managed to stick together while most others fell apart, and it has done wonders for my transition into life on campus. I have met people from all across the United States and the world of varying different backgrounds whom I never would have met if I hadn’t come specifically to this school. As an Indian American from Seattle majoring in Computer Science, most of my friends have been people exactly like me throughout my life. For the first time since I started middle school, I have had to make new friends, and am so thankful that I have. These wonderful people have helped make the transition to school better and have helped me acclimate to Purdue.

Now, as I sit in my room looking at a wall of pictures of the most important people in my life, I no longer view it as a painful reminder of home. I view it as a way to keep me connected to my home as I carry them with me in my life. As I begin my journey into adulthood, I hope to live life to the fullest. It’s truly a miracle that any of us are alive and it is up to us to make the most of it for those that aren’t here. At Purdue with my fellow Boilermakers, I will achieve this goal. Boiler Up and Hammer Down!

`