Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
Dear Indiana University,
Ever since I was little, I craved college. I was obsessed with indie music, specifically Vampire Weekend. In their 2008 song “One (Blake’s Got a New Face),” they sing “Oh, your collegiate grief has left you dowdy in sweatshirts. Absolute horror.” I had no idea what it meant, but I felt this temptation to go away for school. And yes, the second I started class here, their song “Campus” accompanied me on most walks.
I remember the first time I stepped on your campus. It was February 2021, it was freezing, and there was not a single student walking outside. At the time, tours weren’t being offered, so my Mom and I tried to understand where everything was by ourselves. It was so overwhelming; I knew that Indiana’s campus was huge. I did all of the virtual tours and knew the enormity of the student body. So, it was daunting to think about finding my place in Bloomington.
Your campus is one that in the bleakest of weather, still puts a smile on my face. One with vibrant greenery that even with the worst of allergies, I still feel the pull of the outdoors. I always tell people who ask me about this campus that you can make a big school feel small. I’m so lucky that I have found a million different communities, and even now in my last week here, I am still discovering new spots.
I am a completely different person from the one who arrived in Bloomington in August 2021. After a two-day car ride with my family from New Jersey, I stepped onto campus. I was extremely blonde, consistently wearing crop tops and carried a semi-heavy Jersey accent. I was absolutely terrified of Indiana. Everyone was way too nice, smiling as they passed one another. The overwhelming sense of Midwestern kindness was almost unsettling.
Yet, you have changed me and become home in the truest sense.
Like many people who come to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. My senior year of high school was my exploration year. I took all of my classes online, not stepping into my school building until I had to when I attended rehearsal for a production of Mamma Mia. Every day of my life was filled with music. I was in choir, a competitive a cappella group and did every musical I could. And while I loved all those things so much, I knew that I wouldn’t pursue it professionally.
After a brief stint directing my first film for a mass media class, I thought I was about to become the next Sofia Coppola. I had applied here as a media major and quickly changed to film. I told my parents, and they were a little lost.
I had absolutely no connection to the industry. They were not going to fund any future projects, and they had the very real fear that I would never be employed.
Then came my first media school course, the freshman staple MSCH-C 101, It opened my eyes to the many paths I could take in the media world. That’s when I discovered public relations. Before this class, I only knew about PR (in true me fashion) was Samantha Jones from Sex and the City who worked in it.
That discovery changed my life. Three years later, I have had two successful internships, I write about arts for the Indiana Daily Student (perhaps the most helpful IU related opportunity yet) and I have my dream job.
When I graduate, I am headed to New York City and will be working for Creative Artists Agency in their agent trainee program. I look at myself from freshman year and do not recognize that person.
Since meeting you, I’ve studied abroad, made best friends (many with that great Midwestern kindness) and have come into my own in a way I had never imagined.
My dreams for the future: to finally move to New York, to become a big time Hollywood agent and attend The Oscars, to find love and happiness with myself and others and to keep everyone that I have met here close to me no matter the distance. Without you, I would still be nervous to venture outside my New Jersey bubble. Today, I crave that freedom.
All the love,
Halie Jasinover
Halie Jasinover (she/her) is a senior studying journalism with a concentration in public relations.
