Katy Hackworthy
As I think about all the amazing students & teachers getting ready to head back to school during a time of deep uncertainty, particularly the class of 2024, I can’t help but reflect on my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Caire. That first fall was one for the books, both literally and figuratively. I spent most of my high school career as an overly ambitious & overly socialized music kid, bopping between one rehearsal or production to the next with a gaggle of pals trailing close behind me. I wanted college to be different. And so, I decided my first semester would be all about quality time with me, my new city, and my ever-expanding book collection. Although I was a music education major, my first love was literature, and diving into the more appealing alternate realities found in the literary world was the comfort & escape I craved in order to avoid the more intimidating task of making new friends.
“Anyone who has spent time in the Chippewa Valley during the fall understands how breathtaking it is to witness the leaves turn, to feel the breeze off the river chill our noses & fingertips a little earlier each day, to cozy up at a local coffee shop and let yourself lean in to the momentary briskness before the bitter winter returns. I spent most of those first few months walking along the river...”
Anyone who has spent time in the Chippewa Valley during the fall understands how breathtaking it is to witness the leaves turn, to feel the breeze off the river chill our noses & fingertips a little earlier each day, to cozy up at a local coffee shop and let yourself lean in to the momentary briskness before the bitter winter returns. I spent most of those first few months walking along the river, acquainting myself with this city I was unsure about. Those freedom-filled days took on various forms, but I always ended up lounging on a park bench or laying under a tall pine with a book in hand. I almost never brought along the assigned readings slumped on the desk in my cramped dorm room, neglected in favor of something I picked up at the public library or at my hometown bookshop. Those unfamiliar benches & parks ushered in a welcome sense of anonymity & freedom, something I craved coming from a small river town where it was difficult to walk down the street without running into someone eager to talk your ear off.
I reserved my afternoons away from campus for those intimate indulgences that added up to a whole lot of self discovery & a fair amount of earned solitude. I made sure to separate the city & all I did in it from the campus that often felt claustrophobic. These efforts at keeping my worlds distinct allowed me to more fully fall in love with this incredible place that’s imprinted itself upon me forever. In my attempt to lean into that solitude, I was also making friends with this new city & the places that marked it with character, like the public library which felt like a secret I was keeping from my peers (pro tip, students: snag a few required readings from the public library before padding the pockets of the campus bookstore!), and the record store where I would spend chilly afternoons chatting with fellow music nerds that made me feel at home. In one particularly memorable moment, I walked across the bridge just after sunrise to make it to my appointment at a clinic near Water Street only to find out I had the wrong day. To make the most of my mix up, I stumbled into a tiny coffee shop called The Goat where I found a group of old men playing cards over mugs of coffee & cracking up with the kind hearted owner. I was the only other person in the joint that early, and sitting by myself, smiling at the group of pals over my copy of the local paper, made me feel like I was a part of something good.
“Students, never forget we all deserve and need comfort & company, and those two things are hard to come by during these days of physical distancing combined with a social & cultural revolution”
Students, never forget we all deserve and need comfort & company, and those two things are hard to come by during these days of physical distancing combined with a social & cultural revolution. That’s asking more from us than many have ever given in their whole lives. And so, I’m here to remind you to lean in and lean on. Lean in to the discomfort, lean in to the learning, lean in the small joys like books & walks by the river & your favorite barista handing you a warm mug without having to ask for your order. And of course, never forget to lean on the places & people you love for the necessary comfort along the way.