Coming to Brown as a first-generation student from a rural community, I know how valuable it is to have people who understand both the excitement and uncertainty of starting your Brown journey. It has been my network of peers, friends, and mentors that has opened doors for me and made Brown feel like home — whether that be navigating public transportation for the first time with Rural Students @ Brown, learning about Brown's unique resources with U-FLi Peer Counselors, or even just hanging out with new friends during the Orientation Ice Cream Social. Being part of a community that facilitates that sense of belonging has been one of the most rewarding parts of my Brown experience, and I am excited to help create that same experience for the Class of 2030!

Coming from a small farming town, I was more than a little nervous about adjusting to life in Providence. But after journeying downtown, adventuring to new neighborhoods, and learning to love the RIPTA, I quickly realized just how much this city has to offer to those willing to step out of their comfort zone. I hope to help other small-town and rural students immerse themselves in city life and expand their sense of what's possible in the greater Providence area.

Hi! My name is Andrew, and I am a rising junior studying cognitive neuroscience. I grew up near Portersville, PA, a small town about 45 minutes north of Pittsburgh. My hometown is near Moraine State Park, which contains a large, artificial lake made to replicate the body of water formed from the southernmost tip of the Ice Age glacier! As a Rural Students Track Leader and former participant, I'm confident this track is an amazing opportunity to simultaneously feel immersed in the orientation experience, while also feeling deeply supported by students settling into college from a rural/small town background. Even though rural backgrounds can be strikingly different, I feel that rural groups share a similar outlook and mindset on orientation, helping everyone feel more comfortable and willing to learn from one another.

I spent my Gap Year in Sofia, Bulgaria on the YES Abroad Scholarship, researching urban systems and immersed in the culture for 10 months. Coming to Brown felt like I was both gaining opportunities, but also losing independence by returning to the academic world. The transition back into the classroom was made so much easier because of my friends, all the surprises that Brown has to offer, and by understanding that everyone is allowed to transition to college differently. I am so excited to be a part of that transition for the Class of 2030!

Coming into Brown, it is easy to feel like an imposter. The transition from high school to college can be daunting, especially when your family members may not be able to offer you guidance. Yet, imposter syndrome is a feeling that often eases with time. Before arriving on campus, I frequently heard words about support and welcome that students feel at Brown. At first, those words felt like a platitude-- something repeated so often that it seems to lose its meaning. But through time and immersion in the Brown community, I came to realize I found myself feeling at home. Brown's value is not only found through the opportunity it offers, but also in the grace you give yourself to grow, explore, and find your place, one day at a time.  

Hi! I’m Thomas, a rising senior studying English and Creative Writing. I’m from Charleston, West Virginia, a city of 48,000 people, and I never considered myself as rural before coming to Brown. But everything’s relative, and at Brown, so many students hail from so many cities that I’ve heard people unironically call Providence “small” or “rural.” It’s easy to think how neatly you “fit” into the rural or not-rural categories, but I think this track is an amazing place to realize that it’s the experiences, and not the numbers, that define “rurality” here at Brown. So if you connect with the term rural, I think this track could be great for you. In my time at Brown, I have developed a greater understanding and pride in where I’m from, and that’s something we should all feel.