For those of you who don’t know, I’m a 1L student at UConn Law School. In a lot of ways it’s very similar to Wellesley. There’s Gothic architecture, and those stupid, pretty windows that let in plenty of cold air along with the light are everywhere. There are a number of student orgs, and thousands of eager 1L students run for student government, while the upper classes don’t seem to interested in the system. It’s a beautiful campus, and I’m lucky to be here.
However, UConn Law is located in Hartford.
My little sister was at Trinity College, so I had some idea that Hartford was not the nicest city in the world. On arriving to UConn (located in the West End, the nicest part of the city), reality drop-kicked me pretty hard. Hartford is consistently ranked as one of the top three poorest cities in the nation, despite being in one of the wealthiest states. Nearly a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. Even in the ‘nice’ area, it’s easy to see how tough things are. Two days into classes, one of my fellow students was mugged. Three days into classes, the mayor of Hartford turned himself over to police to face corruption charges. This place cannot catch a break.
I never wanted to live in Connecticut. I’m a Masshole born and raised, and I miss the Bay State fiercely. But something about the potential to actually do good here strikes me more than it ever did as an undergrad.
At UConn, like at Wellesley, we refer to the campus as a bubble. But the students here (though only your humble blogger hails from Wellesley) do their best to affect change. They take the commitment to pro bono work very seriously.
Even if I miss everything about Wellesley (and I do), there’s one thing I don’t have to miss-the commitment to service. It seems like the commitment to ministering is going to follow us wherever we go. Which is just as well.
– Rose-Ellen, ’09 VP
Wellesley College Class of 2009 