From Ann Arbor to East Lansing : A Wolverine in Green

by Lauren Talley

In almost every class, the instructors had each student introduce himself or herself: our names, hometowns, majors and other general information. People answered appropriately, throwing around Michigan cities and the occasional out-of-state locale. Everything was fine until my turn. My response incited double takes and, sometimes, a chuckle.
       

I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home to the University of Michigan Wolverines. My old high school sits kitty-corner to the Michigan Stadium and my parents work at the university. I have spent my life thriving on everything Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan has to offer. Needless to say, I grew up bleeding maize and blue.
However, now I’m here, in East Lansing, attending one of Michigan’s largest rivals, Michigan State University.

I’m not going to lie and say that it was easy to leave Tree-Town. Nor is it easy to don new colors. I’ve never considered myself a diehard Wolverine, but when I had to trade my old, worn-out, torn Michigan sweatshirt for a new, albeit soft, Spartan green hoodie, I realized, for the time being at least, that I’m a Wolverine in green. I don’t even know the Michigan State fight song yet, but I can recite, “Hail to the Victors” on cue. 
     
Many have asked why I even bothered coming to Michigan State if I have such strong ties to Michigan, but the answer was simple -- Michigan did not have what I wanted, a journalism major, or even a communication school.

This school is an eye-opener, in an almost backwards sense. I’m stepping out of the liberal, politically correct, intellectual bubble that is Ann Arbor into a community that houses students from every corner of the world. That includes people who come from small, conservative cities where other lifestyles are not an option. It was startling to overhear the casual use of the derogatory terms such as gay and faggot. In Ann Arbor, an extremely gay-friendly community, I never heard those words spoken in person, only from the ever-present entertainment industry.

Each day I’m learning to love Michigan State more and more. It’s giving me exactly what I wanted as far as academics and provides me with a great place to grow as a college student and a person. Although I will miss the comforts of home, I’m busting out the green and white, leaving my maize and blue in the back of my dorm closet. It’s still there of course, just out of sight.