CATEGORY: Student Life
TYPE: Articles
RELATED PROGRAMS: American Studies

More from Macalester Now

Newsletter Written by Mac Students

By Maya Vilaplana ’14, FOR Macalester now

New York, New York
American Studies

Coming from New York City, I was pretty sure that I had met every kind of person there was. Then Macalester challenged me to expand my boundaries of culture and form relationships with students from every part of the country and the world. Macalester has helped me experience a different kind of American life, one that I didn’t know I was missing.

In the first week of orientation, I had made three new friends: Emma and Ilana from Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Noah from Montclair, New Jersey. These comfortable friendships formed easily, and required little effort. In the third week of college I had a conversation that changed everything. In talking to my roommate Nola, from Wisconsin, I mentioned the East Village, where I live.

Nola asked, “What’s the East Village?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “It is my home! The East Village is the heart of New York; it is the heart of my childhood!” I looked and saw that she was interested in learning about my life and that I had the chance to open that life up to her, and she to open her life to me. “It’s in downtown Manhattan,” I said to her. “I’ll take you there.”

In that moment, I realized that seeking new friends from the comfort of shared experience may get me through college, but forming friendships with people from different backgrounds and homes around the world will enhance the rest of my life. With this open mindset, I have created bonds within the Macalester community that I never thought I would have. And with this openness to new places, I let in an unexpected friend—Minnesota.