We’ve all seen those movies or those TV shows. The main character is moving to a brand new school in an unfamiliar state, and the tone is intimidating. Riley from Inside Out, Daniel from The Karate Kid, or even Ginny from Ginny and Georgia. What these characters face are the dull, stereotypical aspects of “moving.” But, students here at Greenwood High School, including myself, have dealt with the real experience. So, how is “moving” actually different from the movies?
Kris Kramer, a junior here in Greenwood, just moved here from Gahanna, Ohio. She explained to me the process of her transition to Kentucky and the very unfortunate events that led up to it. “My grandparents had moved here I think five or six years ago to be closer to my aunt, and when they had just closed on the house, my aunt passed away.” She looks down to the floor, a numb expression on her face. She tells me that her grandparents were unable to move back to Ohio despite her aunt’s passing. Then she voices, “There had just been some incidents – my uncle passed away… Christmas time. So me and my mom just decided to put our foot down and be closer to our grandparents while they are still here. Family is always number 1” Kris had to leave her best friends behind. The girl she’s known since she was seven is going to be a sophomore, and she can’t be there to witness it. The old dynamic between her friends and family is now out of reach. On that day of her uncle’s death, Kramer realized that soon, she would have to accept the new course that her life was going to take.
Kris has lived in Gahanna her whole life and almost all of her family still lives there. The only relative that resides in Kentucky attends South Warren High School. It’s all a pretty tough pill to swallow. But, regardless of the issues Kramer has faced in her journey, she proudly disagrees with the portrayal of “moving” in the movies and TV shows. “The school that I went to was unfortunately not a very good school,” Kris said, “coming into a place where I can feel more secure and safe and overall, have a better experience is what I wish they would put in movies.”
Kramer isn’t alone with this opinion. Joseph Mojica is a freshman at Greenwood that’s just made the 14 hour drive here from New Jersey. He told me that he came from a place where gang violence and jumpings were everyday expectations. Moving from the North side with a lot of “gang activity” to a safer environment was a “big change and a big culture shock” for Joseph. But, he never thought it was depressing. “So, I knew that I was moving here about a year ago. But it was kind of like a great thing because you wanted to get out of the thing” he says, “I didn’t enjoy being down there [his hometown] with the gangs and stuff like that. So, I felt like I was pretty good. I was like ‘Oh great’.”
According to the ATF government agency, in just May of 2023, five Jersey city gang members and associates were sentenced to prison for deadly assault. And stated by the “Safe At Last” website, gang crimes comprised 48.9% of all violent crimes in the US as of 2022. Gang violence continues to be a troubling problem in America. But Joseph doesn’t want his bad experiences in New Jersey to define him. In fact, the number 1 thing that he wants other students to know about him is that he’s a nice guy that anyone can approach. Despite his “metal” appearance, he just wants to be known for his helpfulness and relatability. Although Joseph plans on moving back to New Jersey after he finishes his freshman year, he hopes that he’ll find a better environment and community when he gets there.
Kris expresses another kind of desire. She wishes people knew that the horseshoe charm on her necklace means so much to her because of the immense love she has for horses. Passing the stables of horses on her way to school is her favorite part about this environment. The nice people that Joe has met in his journey here are his favorite parts about this environment.
Schooling is what these two individuals want to achieve their main objective. Academically, Kramer’s ultimate goal is to get accepted into Western Kentucky University to join their Agricultural course and fulfill her dreams of being a Veterinarian or a Vet Tech. Joe’s top priority is getting into finance classes and involving himself in the local community colleges.
The overall advice that new students should know when coming to Kentucky is the materials that you’ll find when you get here. Ms. Little, the English Language Learner teacher in Greenwood, says that Bowling Green and Kentucky offer multiple resources that students can get into for their success and to make their living situation better. “I would encourage them to be self empowering, get hooked in with a good group of…not even a group of, just find a class who knows what they’re doing and just kinda use them as a source to check in,” Ms. Little said, nicely.
My experience with moving has been great sometimes but hard at most. I moved to Bowling Green from Bradenton, Florida in July of 2023 because of a job opportunity my mom got here. You never really realize how much you’ll miss your friends and family until you do the move. There are times when I feel that the people in Florida who knew me but weren’t my friends have a better understanding of who I am than some of the friends I’ve made here. That’s not a bad thing though. It’s just that people you spend your whole academic life around learn a lot about you, even if you aren’t friends. I wish those people were still around at least. It’s hard realizing that I won’t be able to meet the teachers that my older brothers always talked about or be in classes with my best friends anymore. I can’t even just see them in the hallways. Imagine how that would feel for you.
But, it’s not all bad. I’ve met a lot of really cool people and I’m involved with all of the clubs and activities that I was excited about. Even though I don’t know this community, I hope to get to a point where I can have a relatable conversation with them without it feeling awkward. That’s all what people like me, Kris, and Joe could ever ask of the homegrowns of Bowling Green.
So, to all of the native Kentuckians out there, we hope that you all try to make friends with the new faces around you. Listen to their stories and their experiences, not the movies. And to the newbies- remember that Inside Out, The Karate Kid, and Ginny and Georgia all have happy endings when it’s all said and done.
