To most people, it's just a little blink and you could miss it type of town. To me, it has been my home away from home for going on four years now. In November 2012, I first visited Judson College and Marion, AL for the first time. There are fond memories of lunch in one of the small restaurants in town with my mom and wandering around town in my first few weeks of freshman year. I wish things were as simple as they were then. I'm a senior now with many more responsibilities and a much bigger workload. Participating in Marion Matters today and going through leadership training a couple weeks ago brought everything back into perspective.
I forgot for a while that it isn't just Judson that is my home away from home, it's Marion as a whole. I come from a small town and small church. I graduated from a small high school. My whole life was lived at a slow pace in a place where everyone knew everyone and watched out for one another. Marion offered me a place to feel at home while I was in college. It offered me a small town church that always has open doors and open arms for the college students of Judson and Marion Military of which founders for both schools were members.
The people truly love the colleges and its students and the colleges love this town. This beautiful town rich in history and love and good people. From the Civil Rights movement to the founding of the colleges, Marion offers much in the way of history and people who are more than willing to tell you what it was like living in Marion years ago. My freshman and sophomore years, I spent Marion Matters at the Old Lincoln School, a historic African American school situated in Marion. The lady in charge of the upkeep of the old school loved to tell of what Marion was like in the days of the Civil Rights movement. My junior year and most recently my senior year we spent at Marion Academy where we helped clean up some. Every year, I am amazed my the appreciation and gratitude we receive for doing just a little around town.
I love this town and I love being able to do anything I can for the town and people that welcomed this shy, introverted college student with open arms. "Marion, of all the cities in the USA you are the best and we're here to say you're on the map to stay."
