Johns Hopkins University

Darena Ho '24

FORMER ART MANAGER

June 6, 2024: my first day as a high school graduate. I spent a week in Ocean City, the next night at Niall Horan’s concert, and the day after that with a concert hangover. As the days ticked closer to August 18, my move-in day for Johns Hopkins University, the more my emotions swirled. I was a mixture of happiness, sadness, excitement, and nerves. I had always looked forward to my post-high school life, counting down the days to graduation, and eagerly waiting to get out of my small, monotonous town of Chadds Ford. Finally, life would be in technicolor, filled with excitement. But as August 18 came closer and closer, my emotions became more colored and complex. My feelings were best described by the songs I was listening to: “Supercut” and “Ribs” by Lorde, “You’re on Your Own Kid” and “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift, “Retrograde” by Maggie Rogers and “Yes, I’m Changing” by Tame Impala.

On one hand, I had so much excitement– I was finally going to a city! I was going to be a college student! Gone were the days of waking up at 6:30 every morning and fighting for a spot in the upper parking lot. But at the same time, everything was changing. My friends were all moving to different places, different time zones. I would be leaving my parents, making them empty-nesters. The harsh reality was that I was growing up, and I couldn’t help feeling that everything was growing apart.

My homesickness has taught me to appreciate everything Chadds Ford and Unionville has given me– I miss my amazing teachers, hour-long lunches with my best friends, and the comforting walls of Unionville and my home filled with everything and everyone I loved. Now, with a 1.5-hour drive, everything I know is hundreds of miles away from me. I’m still learning to adjust to my new life and the fact that things will never be the same as the past 18 years, but I’m so grateful Unionville has made it so hard to say goodbye.

That home is the reason that I’ll always root for the Philadelphia Eagles instead of the Baltimore Ravens, why I say “hoagie” instead of “sub,” and most importantly why I enlighten people from the South about the wonders of Wawa. I am a mosaic of everything I've known and loved, and my home and Unionville will always be a part of it.