Alden Hou

I have lived in New York my entire life and moving states to attend such a large university was a big change. Growing up in a small town with a population of about 8,000 residents and graduating class of 120 students, I haven't experienced what most of my friends have. Many people associate New York with movement and noise but my experience was the opposite.

In my hometown, there was a very strong sense of community. It was quiet, everywhere you'd go would have at least one familiar face, and life was much slower paced. I really enjoyed that way of living, and I still do now, but I knew I needed a change. I have never lived outside New York for more than a month so it was hard to adjust to such a different environment. The weather was much warmer, the streets were louder, and there were tons of students roaming around.

Growing up in New York also made me think differently about my future. I knew that in my international business major, I would be exposed to a much larger environment and Georgia was the perfect place. Of course, NYC is big and has many opportunities but it would limit my potential. I needed somewhere new to push me out of my comfort zone.

Even though I will be living in Georgia for the next couple of years, I still consider New York to be my home.