ON THE HILL
SHINE: EMELIA LARYEA ’24 Blending Two Worlds MORE THAN 6,000 MILES FROM GHANA, AND ONLY 600 STEPS FROM HER SISTER, SHE’S FOUND GUSTIES WHO ARE HER “HOME AWAY FROM HOME.”
“You’re not Black until you come to America.” Laryea learned this at the age of five, when her family left their small village in Ghana for a new life in Minneapolis. She’s lived most of her life in the States, but her identity is a blend of two worlds, always shifting. “If I were to go back to Ghana I’d be an American,” she says. “Here, I’m African-American, but in Ghana, I’m not a Black American. When I’m in Ghana, I’m just a person.” When the plane from Ghana touched down in Minneapolis, the first shock to her system was physical. Not realizing the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit, she wore a tank top in the middle of winter. There were other key differences. In school in the suburb of Columbia Heights, she found that her teachers weren’t as focused on discipline, and the bland cafeteria food left much to be desired. She followed her older sister, Abby ’23, to Gustavus. Life on the Hill has brought its own cultural changes. For the first time, Laryea found herself the only Black student in a classroom. “It was very weird,” she remembers. Starting college during COVID-19 only added to the weirdness. Now, as a sophomore, Laryea has found herself a solid friend group, including many fellow Ghanaians. Laryea hasn’t visited Ghana since leaving in 2006, so meeting Ghanaian students at Gustavus offers a rare chance to celebrate her culture with others. “It’s like you get Ghana in the United States,” she says. “It’s like home away from home.” Sometimes they celebrate in big ways, like cooking family recipes in Co-Ed or donning traditional clothing for PASO’s annual Africa Night. Other times it’s the little things that matter to Laryea—the blend of accents among her Ghanian friends, the friendly waves from across campus. “People need to feel like they belong in the space they’re in, and they need to feel like they have
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For Laryea, a diverse campus community brings new ideas that heighten the liberal arts experience. “It’s really boring when you see the same kinds of people every day. When people come from all different places, I think it changes the whole atmosphere. You can learn from other people’s customs and then mesh them with your own.”
COMMUNITY
GUSTAVUS QUARTERLY | SPRING 2022
people they can depend on.”
