Kansas

                        Go West…..
                               …..Paradise is There
                                             ~ Natalie Merchant

After living the majority of my life in Western New York, one day I decided to leave my home turf and head west to Kansas, where I lived for nearly 10 years. I have been asked "why Kansas?" so many times, I have lost count. For those who still inquire, I simply reply "why not Kansas?" Sure, Kansas isn't one the top resort areas in America. There are no mountains, no seashore, and no great wonders of the world within its borders. Kansas does, however, flaunt the world's largest hand dug well, the largest ball of twine, and the spot where helium was discovered. None of these reasons, though, is why I chose to move there.

While stumbling through life after high school, I decided that maybe I should attend college and see what was out there for me. This interest in college seven years after graduating from high school, of course, surprised many people as I was not exactly the best student in high school, academically or attitudinally. Yet, I made up my mind to attend college and study Health Care Administration after working for seven years in a Nursing Home. I enrolled in my local community college and it didn't take long for this young man, who once despised the tediousness of high school, to realize that college was different -- it was stimulating, exciting, and relatively non-restrictive of the free-spirit which dwelled within me. I found my niche and dived in head first!!

After three semesters at community college, I was ready to transfer to a 4-year University. Naturally, I decided that it was too easy, and predictable, to attend the same State University that all my friends attended in Fredonia NY, so I researched some universities away from home and decided to head west to the American Plains.

My interest in severe weather also played into this decision -- here was Kansas, in the heart of tornado alley and home to three quality universities - KU, K-State, and Wichita State. I chose Wichita State as, at the time, its health care administration program was highly ranked and so, in 1989, I packed up my belongings, bid farewell to my family and friends, and headed for Kansas, Dorothy's star
(oh yeh, I am a big fan of the "Wizard of Oz" and Judy Garland).

The decade that I spent in Kansas, while I didn't exactly find paradise, was a good experience for me as I met a lot of great people, had the chance to chase some tornadoes, changed my major to Sociology, and grew as a person in many ways. Now, I am home in New York State and have found success in an academic career, hold several fond memories of my experience on the plains, and continue to sustain a few very important and cherished friendships from the Sunflower State.