Column
2 CRUSADER
Feburary 9, 2017
Big city vs Small town Jessica Aldave-Ramos Reporter
When most people think of big cities, they may think of unlimited opportunities and endless possibilities. Before moving from Houston, Texas I didn’t know that a small town would have such a big impact on me. In Houston, I was often lost in the crowd while competing with various people for jobs and certain positions. Everyone was in constant competition with each other. Each person was trying to get that promotion or look better than the next. After graduating, I began to wonder what I would do with my life and where I would go. There was no one to guide me, or give me any direction on what I should do. No one had ever told me that I was good at something, or that I had potential. That was until I came to Liberal. It was easy to fall behind and lose focus with everything that was going on in Houston. I needed to pay attention to what I needed to do in order to get some kind of degree or do something with my life. Lisa Suzuki from Tokyo, Japan, the biggest city in the world, agrees that being in a small town made it easier to know what‘s important. “I can focus on studying here in Liberal, but in Tokyo there were lot of distractions.” I moved to Liberal to get a sense of who I wanted to be, and where I wanted to go in life. While living in Houston, I could only hear the background noise of everyone else’s dreams. I wanted more for my life than being stuck behind a register or waiting tables. The future in Houston was not promised to me.
In Liberal it was easy to research all these different jobs that I thought I wanted to pursue. There were people in town that I could go see and talk to about my interests. People are more willing to help someone out in a small town, because everyone knows everyone. We have people that will vouch for us and give us recommendations, because they know what kind of person we are. They have the time to talk to others and put in a good word for us. According to Sarah Fuller, the author of Job Search Beyond the Big Cities, “The smaller you go, the more people like to be in the know. They want to know who is living and working around them. People tend to be much more interconnected. For a job candidate, it takes meeting the right person or someone connected who’s vouching for you.” I found it easy to figure out what I wanted to do, because I had so much time to think about it. After getting advice and being
guided in the right direction, I knew what I wanted because of the people that helped me. In Houston, I wasn’t able to get that kind of attention. Student Support Services/ TRiO Program Coordinator Phillip Lee, from New York, NY, agrees that people here are accepting and inviting. “Pros for a small town are that you get to know a lot of people. One of the really big benefits here is community, and that people are very friendly. People are very accepting here in Liberal.” I believe big cities have their purpose, but I also believe that small towns are the ones that will help me find my purpose. Liberal is helping me be whoever I want to be. In a small town there are endless possibilities and unlimited opportunities for everyone.
CRUSADER
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Editors: Angelica Alfaro and Brynn Grieshaber Photo Editor: Keynitra Houston
Staff: Odalys Avalos, David Gomez, Yesenia Montanez, Lisa Suzuki, Jessica Aldave-Ramos Follow us on: facebook.com/CrusaderNews
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The official student newspaper of Seward County Community College is publsihed monthly by journalism students during the regular college year, except on school holidays and during examinations periods. One copy of each isssue is distributed free to each student, faulty and staff member, with subsequent copies avialable for purchase in the Crusader office at 50 cents each. Letters to the editor will be considered for publication if they are signed and the authenticity of the writer’s signature is verified.The staff reserves the right to edit for length. Opinions voice in letters and editorials are not necessarily those of Seward County Community College. Advertising is accepted. Rates are $5 per column inch or $5.25 pci for color ads. Insert rates are $50 per thousand. The Crusader staff reserves the right to refuse advertising. Mail to: Crusader, Box 1137, Liberal, KS 67905, or email editors@crusadernews.com.