I’d be lying if I said that Cornell was the school I dreamed of attending. But if I told you I didn’t love it here from the minute I saw it, that would be a lie as well. 

I have a vivid memory of how I felt about Cornell in my sophomore year of high school, after my campus tour. I wrote down in my diary that Cornell was one of the nicest schools I’ve seen so far — it was just too bad that it was in *sigh* Ithaca. The reason I dared turn up my nose at beautiful Ithaca was the same reason I toured Cornell as only a sophomore: I was already living here. 

This is a townie’s reflection on her Cornell tenure, a wild four years that doesn't even represent a quarter of the time she has lived in Ithaca, N.Y. I have not yet steeled myself to leave behind prelims, papers and people I love so dearly, let alone the town where I learned to read and write. A place I once longed to escape from has now cemented itself as my home in every sense of the word. Maybe writing this column will help me approach the realm of acceptance, and by the last word I will feel prepared to say goodbye. 

Admittedly, being a townie is not a unique experience. It is possible that the person reading this is one of the 100-odd Ithaca High School graduates who also chose to stay local. I do think that every one of us has a unique relationship to Cornell and to our hometown. For me, the decision to stay in Ithaca was made easier when my parents decided to move away. This........

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