2008 Woodie Awards
Dorms to Town
Finding Humboldt
Brett Shiells
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Campus
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Joshua Holden felt trapped in the dorms. He didn't like Humboldt County, or the community he was starting to call home.
He came to Humboldt State in 2003 to study wildlife, excited about the environment and the school, but was disappointed. Holden felt the dorms tried to normalize his experience, quashing the interests that brought him here in the first place. "You feel like you have to do the stuff everyone around you is doing when you live in the dorms," Holden said. "I wasn't into the party scene."
Holden dabbled in outdoor activities, but never fully engaged in anything. It was hard, he said, to know where to go in such a huge county.
"I was constantly surrounded by people," Holden said, "but I felt incredibly isolated."
He felt so alone and disconnected from dorm life that he left the school's housing midyear, even though it meant forfeiting more than $1000 in housing fees.
He moved into a house in northern Arcata, in the Westwood suburbs, and brought his dog from Tahoe. Holden was instantly happier.
"When I left the dorms, my Humboldt experience changed for the better," he said. "I finally felt free to be myself."
"Instead of feeling like the only friends I knew were next door," Holden said, "I was able to seek out the kind of people that wanted the same thing out of Humboldt that I came here for."
"Just like your friends don't have to be your roommates," he said, "your roommates don't have to be your friends."
In seeking friends that he truly wanted to be around, Holden gained an appreciation of Humboldt County and the unique opportunities it offers residents. He said he felt able to create an identity for himself that reflected his interests and ignored stereotypes of the area.
"I found a sense of community," he said. "The aspects of Humboldt I wanted to explore became accessible."
Holden's experience, while unique, retains resonance with anybody transitioning from the semi-structured dorms to "real life" in town.
He came to Humboldt State in 2003 to study wildlife, excited about the environment and the school, but was disappointed. Holden felt the dorms tried to normalize his experience, quashing the interests that brought him here in the first place. "You feel like you have to do the stuff everyone around you is doing when you live in the dorms," Holden said. "I wasn't into the party scene."
Holden dabbled in outdoor activities, but never fully engaged in anything. It was hard, he said, to know where to go in such a huge county.
"I was constantly surrounded by people," Holden said, "but I felt incredibly isolated."
He felt so alone and disconnected from dorm life that he left the school's housing midyear, even though it meant forfeiting more than $1000 in housing fees.
He moved into a house in northern Arcata, in the Westwood suburbs, and brought his dog from Tahoe. Holden was instantly happier.
"When I left the dorms, my Humboldt experience changed for the better," he said. "I finally felt free to be myself."
"Instead of feeling like the only friends I knew were next door," Holden said, "I was able to seek out the kind of people that wanted the same thing out of Humboldt that I came here for."
"Just like your friends don't have to be your roommates," he said, "your roommates don't have to be your friends."
In seeking friends that he truly wanted to be around, Holden gained an appreciation of Humboldt County and the unique opportunities it offers residents. He said he felt able to create an identity for himself that reflected his interests and ignored stereotypes of the area.
"I found a sense of community," he said. "The aspects of Humboldt I wanted to explore became accessible."
Holden's experience, while unique, retains resonance with anybody transitioning from the semi-structured dorms to "real life" in town.
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