Students lugging boxes, clothes and other essentials poured onto campus last week as first year students embarked on a new adventure: moving into their first college dorms. 

For some, moving into a new place can come with a broad array of emotions. 

“I cried for like an hour after my parents left,” Elle Howell, an education major, said. “I was so excited for them to leave, so I could settle in on my own but when I watched their car drive off, I couldn’t help but feel a little homesick.” 

Howell said that going to the events around campus and meeting new people have helped with the transition. 

“I went to BINGO and started talking to the person next to me,” Howell said. “We apparently live in the same dorm and plan to grab lunch together sometime soon!” 

For other students, like Luke Mader, a fashion major, the adventure started with a fifteen hour drive from his hometown in New Orleans, Louisiana to Kent. 

“I’m loving it so far,” Mader said. “It’s so different from where I’m from. It’s like 100 degrees out there, so the stark contrast between the physical environment is already shocking, on top of what I’m doing on a day to day basis. It’s a lot but I’m having a great time.” 

For Mader, the transition hasn’t been as overwhelming as he thought it would be. 

“I said ‘bye’ to my parents this morning,” Mader said. “Now that they’re actually gone, I get to live with the decision I made to come to Kent. There haven’t been too many bumps in the road and it’s been a lot easier than I thought it would be.” 

Like most college freshmen, Mader is looking forward to the next four years of college. 

“I have no idea where these next four years will take me, but it can be wherever and that’s a cool prospect.” 

Destiny Torres is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].