Two years ago, in March, I committed to the University of Rhode Island from my living room at my house in Connecticut in the middle of the original quarantine period of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had no idea if I would be going back to high school to finish out my senior year and I had no idea if I would even be able to attend school in Rhode Island the following fall. I was scared, I felt small, and I felt like everything in my life was spiraling out of control and I had no way to change it or fix it. 

The glimmer of hope that I would be able to come to URI in the fall was the only thing that kept me going during that time. I spent all of my days googling the University, watching YouTube videos of people that went here, joining Facebook and Snapchat groups and trying to make as many friends as possible. While I was excited to get out of my hometown, I was also nervous to be living 2 hours away from the only home that I’d ever known. 

In my hometown, I went to preschool with the kids that I graduated high school with. I went to school, played sports, and grew up with the same 200 kids in my grade. That was my normal, those kids were my normal, and I never really thought about how daunting it would be the day that I actually had to move away from Connecticut. It’s safe to say that I had no idea how to make new friends, no idea how to live on my own, and no idea how to establish a sense of family and community anywhere other than home. 

Now, two years later, I can’t even believe that I was ever afraid to live away from home. For me, going to school out of state is liberating. URI became a place of opportunity. It was a place where I could completely reinvent myself and figure out who I really was. It was a place where I was pushed out of my comfort zone. It was a place where I had no choice but to figure everything out for myself – whether that was my own meals, how to use the washing machines in my dorm, or how to make friends – and a family – at URI. 

That’s one thing that I want to emphasize – I had no choice but to figure that all out for myself. If I didn’t learn how to cook food/budget my money so that I could eat, I would starve. If I didn’t figure out how to use the washing machine, I would have no clean clothes. If I didn’t actively try to make friends, I would be lonely. It’s that harsh reality that kind of hits you once you get to school out of state is that you REALLY need to shape up and do the work, because otherwise you’re barely going to be able to get by. 

While some of my friends lived in the area and were able to go home whenever they wanted to, I was stranded here with no car and two hours away from home. I had to learn how to be away from home and be independent while also staying connected and in contact with my family and friends back in Connecticut. The way that I’ve done that successfully is by setting aside time each day to call my family. I make it a point to call my mom, dad, and sisters every day to update them on my whereabouts and what’s going on in my life. FaceTime is a beautiful creation that makes you feel like you’re there in real time, even though you’re two hours away. 

While I was nervous at first to go out of state, it has become my favorite thing ever. URI has become a second home to me in a way that I didn’t expect thanks to all of the people that I’ve met here. The independence that I gained going to school away from home is something that I needed in order to grow into the person that I am today.

Hi! I’m Juliana and I’m a sophomore Communications and Journalism student from Brookfield, CT. I can’t wait to continue my passion for writing as a blog writer for InsideRec! Outside of Campus Recreation, I’m also involved in Greek Life, the Good Five Cent Cigar, and URI 101 mentoring. In my free time, you can find me watching the sunset in Narragansett, sitting on the quad with my friends, or in the line at Dunkin’ Donuts. I’m looking forward to writing more blog-style posts and giving advice from my own experiences!