The Continental - Hamilton College

featuresall-american meets south americananthony carello & mariana vinacurWith the buzz of diversity discussion on campus this year,there has been new attention paid to the experiences of Hamilton’sinternational students. While Hamilton’s student body becomes morediverse each year, there are still concerns that the campus environmentis not as welcoming to some students as it is to others. We decidedto investigate this issue by going to the source—Hamilton studentsthemselves. We brought Mariana Vinacur ‘09 from faraway Argentinaand Anthony Carello ‘09 from nearby Syracuse together to comparetheir unique experiences as members of the Hamilton community.Having met their freshman year in Dunham, Mariana andAnthony chatted with ease throughout their meet and shoot. Theywere quick to reminisce on both the exciting and awkward memoriesfrom their first year at Hamilton. Mariana first reflected on her bolddecision to forage so far from home.“I was the only one that left from my high school,” she toldAnthony, and had “never visited Hamilton before I applied... I was like,‘Why not?’” she laughed.Anthony, on the other hand, “applied to all schools near by.” “Iwanted to stay close to home but also wanted to be far enough away todetach myself, too,” he explained.Despite their unique experiences in getting to Hamilton, bothagree that freshman year is difficult for everyone. “We were all newfreshman year,” Mariana commented. Anthony admitted that it hasbeen a lot easier for him to come here knowing that he can visit hisfamily whenever he wants. “I actually go home pretty often,” heremarked, “and it’s nice because my parents get to see me play in mysoccer games.”While Mariana admitted to missing home often, she does not feelthat being from Argentina has hindered her experience at Hamiltonin any way. “It is exotic to say I am from Argentina,” she laughed.“Sometimes people think I am lying.” She does recognize, however,that having been to the U.S. before has been a major help. “I have ahouse in Florida,” she explained to Anthony. “That made my transitionmuch smoother.” The best part of being from far away, according toMariana: “I get to bring my friends home to Argentina and I love that.”While their perspectives on Hamilton are quite different,Anthony and Mariana discovered that their love for the school isvery much the same. “Hamilton has such a good blend of academicsand community,” Mariana said. “A lot of places can get you a goodeducation but everyone here looks for friends and something that willlast beyond Hamilton years.”“Hamilton has a great community feel,” Anthony agreed, “muchbetter than if you were to go to a big state school.” And while Anthonysees his family “pretty often” and Mariana much less so, both havecome to see their friends on campus as family.“I have great friends at home,” Anthony explained, “but it’s justnot the same as living with people everyday. You get much closer withpeople here.” Echoing Anthony’s sentiment, Mariana said, “I think ofmy roommate as my sister.”Despite their differences, the two feel very comfortable here atHamilton. “As corny as it sounds,” Anthony remarked, “Hamilton is ahome away from home.”“Hamilton is a home away from home,” whether you are originallyfrom Central New York or Argentina.the continental | spring 2008 41