As a full-time graduate student from out of state (California to be specific), I have realized that finding time to visit my family more than once a year is quite the challenge! Christmas is about it, unless I can squeeze in a break during the summer. Travelling is expensive, and on a student’s budget a flight home for a long weekend is pretty much out of the question. This is something that I realized would be a challenge when I moved to Laramie to attend UW, but I didn’t realize how quickly I would develop a new surrogate family in the College of Ag!
For the past three years, I have not had the opportunity to go home for Thanksgiving, however not once did I find myself moping around at home. I have been to the Nebraska Sandhills to celebrate the holiday on a cattle ranch, to southern Colorado eating dinner with a splendid view of Pike’s Peak, and just this year I spent it in Laramie with our very own Ann Leonard and her husband, Tom. Easter has been no different. I have attended several Easter Sunday services with various friends and their families. This year I was lucky enough to dine with some of my fellow Range Clubbers on home-raised lamb from Kemmerer!
I did not expect to experience such a wealth of generosity when I came to Wyoming, but I’ve come to learn that it is just the culture here! The College of Ag especially has come to feel like family; I feel welcome talking to any of the professors and staff, whether I have a problem or am just looking for a short chat (as long as they aren’t busy, of course!). Getting involved in various clubs has broadened that feeling of welcome, and I strongly advise it to any students looking for a fun, friendly, and welcoming environment. I know first-hand that talking to strangers and trying to make friends is a bit scary, but return a grin to the smiling face in the hallway, and squeak out a little hello, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you just might make a family away from home!