MU’s campus is filled with communities of students from all around the world. However, some students born and raised in Columbia decided to stay in their hometown and develop new communities at MU.

While attending Hickman High School, sophomore Abby Oreskovich got involved with marching band which allowed her to create bonds that would benefit her future. 

“Marching Mizzou hosts a marching competition every year, which all of the Columbia marching bands compete at, and one of the drum majors for Marching Mizzou was also our TA in the marching band at Hickman, so we already knew him really well,” Oreskovich said.

Now that she is involved in Marching Mizzou, Oreskovich said having some pre-existing relationships formed before entering college gave her advantages when making friends and building connections. 

“The music community and Columbia within itself is super niche, so I know all the band directors in Columbia,” Oreskovich said. “And when you’re a high school french horn player, you know all the french horn players, so that is really cool.”

Due to the large commitment Marching Mizzou upholds, Oreskovich had multiple opportunities to connect with other freshmen and show them around her hometown.

“The first week of Marching Mizzou, you make all these new friends immediately and then you’re just instantly bonded and do everything together for months,” Oreskovich said. “I’m getting to show my favorite parts of Columbia to people [who] have never seen it before, and it has been a really fun experience.”

Oreskich’s love for her hometown allowed her to create new bonds with her peers by sharing her perspective on what it was like growing up in Columbia. Also sharing the history behind her favorite places allowed her new friends to connect more with Columbia. 

However, for some, going to college in your hometown can seem a bit too familiar. Although freshman Madison Hendershott grew up playing soccer in Columbia, when being recruited for the MU’s women’s soccer team, Hendershott took full advantage of entering her new community on campus. 

“Being from Columbia, I know a lot of people who go to college here, so there’s a lot of familiar faces, but with soccer I didn’t know a single person,” Hendershott said. “I wake up with them, I eat dinner with them and just seeing them every day really does make it feel like family. It has made [MU] an even cooler experience for me.”

Even though her athletics gave Hendershott many options for her future education, being from Columbia, MU holds a special place in her heart. 

“I actually toured a lot of other colleges, but there’s just something about [MU] that just always felt like home to me,” Hendershott said. “The town size is not too big, not too small — it was just perfect.”

These Columbia townies still take full advantage of going to school in their hometown. Both Hendershott and Oreskich’s love for Columbia provided them with even more campus communities that they have grown to love while attending MU.  

Edited by Alex Goldstein | agoldstein@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Emma Short and Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com

Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com