Through the crowd of caps and gowns on a windy Sunday in May in New Paltz, New York, I spotted my bespectacled parents waving their arms. We beamed at each other as I stood on the white folding chair. My classmates were screaming into their cellphones, “I’m over here! Look to your left!” But I had stood up, turned around, and there were my parents. I am so grateful to have always been able to count on them being openly behind me.
A typical millennial, I have made the move back into my parents’ house just south of the city of Syracuse since finishing my BA in English/creative writing and journalism at SUNY New Paltz in December 2015. Moving home was my best option; like many other recent graduates, I had to ask myself if it would be worth the effort to immediately strike out on my own. After much deliberation, the answer was no. If I had moved to New York City after graduation as I had previously intended, I would probably be working 50-plus hours a week to make rent with little to no money or time to spare. I would have been quickly worn down, miserable.
Moving home has given me the leisure to enjoy my post-graduate life; to bask in the glory of (at least for now) never having homework again. Being fortunate enough to move home has allowed me to save money, reconnect with old friends and prioritize my career in a stable environment.
Since coming home I have acquired three jobs:
- Communications and publications intern for the New York Section American Water Works Association in Liverpool, where I am the editor of Aquarius magazine — a biannual publication that highlights water industry projects and workers with the hope of raising awareness about clean drinking water and the means with which it is provided to us all.
- Fishmonger/seafood lady at Green Hills Farms in the Valley area of Syracuse where I scale salmons, wait on customers, make a ton of seafood salad, and maintain the cleanliness of the station, among many other tasks. I mostly work alone, which I relish, and find preparing food to be somehow calming;
- And now blogger for the Syracuse New Times! As your blogger, I intend to share my journey of rediscovering Syracuse. In my experience the old saying rings true that you can’t fully appreciate something until you don’t have it anymore.
Leaving Syracuse for undergrad gave me a fresh perspective on the city, more mature and rosy than what I had on it in high school — it’s difficult to not be bored by a place you spent 18 years in while you’re too young to know anything truly important. Now as a young professional, when I’ve just started to understand some important aspects of life, I’ve realized that Syracuse culture is alive and that I want to immerse myself in it.
In the coming weeks, I hope to write posts in tune with Syracuse’s current events, its society and my interpretations of having a good time here; both in terms of personal growth and being with friends. I’m young, I’m a-livin’, and I’m open to whatever Syracuse has to offer, so stay tuned for tales of the people and places I encounter along the way.