Exploring why place identity makes college towns sites of mixed emotions
By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
One of the most eye-opening conversations I’ve had occurred in my sophomore year at Davis, in passing with a stranger. We were discussing our feelings about Davis; She said she found the town to be interesting because everyone is so friendly, but that she got tired from smiling at people all day. I was shocked.
Apparently an Alabama girl (me) and a Boston girl (her) had very different takes on the characters in our shared college town. As a person who grew up smiling and waving often and chatting with people I passed on the street, I didn’t find Davis locals to be particularly familiar.
The distinction in our varying perspectives on Davis enlightened me. A truth hiding in plain sight: We are who we are because of where we are from, and our perspectives on new things will be forever shaped by the places we have grown accustomed to.
Starting college for me, and I imagine for most, was a significant transition. I knew moving across the country would create a sense of unrest, as I was so far from family and friends, but I had no idea just how far I would feel from everything I know to be “normal.”
Moving to a new town introduces the realization that every place has its own individual culture. For people that move around their whole lives, each new space may introduce a new sense of community.
The reason college is specifically unique is because everyone is operating based on the knowledge they built off of their own unique hometowns. I think this is what makes it so difficult but also so special — it’s essentially a bunch of people with very different place identities coming together into a new space with its own culture.
The idea of place identity, broadly, indicates that our personality, mannerisms and worldviews are shaped by where we are from. As I made the road trip to Davis last summer, I realized that in every place I stopped, people seemed different. Sizes of towns vary, demographic make-ups vary, geographic features vary — and yet, it wasn’t intuitive to me that this would make the people who populate all those places vary too.
There are towns that rely on farming to live, cities that are mostly made up of young people, municipalities with just two roads and others with upwards of two thousand — these features build ways of life. While some people grow up best friends with their neighbors, others may never know them. When we come to college, the thing that brings us together is rarely where we come from.
For me, I didn’t know how to appreciate feeling so culturally out of place: that is, until I realized that we all feel out of place while simultaneously sharing an identity — as students, we are integral to creating the culture of the space we inhabit now. So, why is it so hard to feel like a true part of a new community? The answer is because we are all shaped by where we come from; none of us know each others’ backgrounds. We’re all in the same boat, all in a new place. Why is it so exciting? The very same reasons.
College is a challenge. At the same time, it is a wonderful opportunity and an invitation to understand what makes people who they are, while also helping us learn about ourselves.
Written by: Violet Zanzot— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
