A young man from the Garden State took a trip south to Mississippi for the first time in his life. He had driven through the state before while on a volunteer spring break trip to work with Habitat for Humanity in Texas, but this would be the first time staying in the state for an extended period of time. How long exactly? Two years.

That young man is me. My name is Alex Herbst, and I am a new graduate student at Mississippi State University. I am now two weeks into classes, and three weeks into living on campus at MSU. Here to study broadcast meteorology, I am continuing in my dream of becoming one of the leading broadcast meteorologists in the United States. And life here in Starkville will be an important part of my future.

Of course, living here in Mississippi is far different from my home state of New Jersey, or even from my undergraduate years in New Hampshire. The first adjustment that one has to make is getting used to sweating before nine in the morning, a regular occurrence so far for me. The thunderstorms and rain showers also seem more intense here, and often truly are, compared to the small storms that come through New Jersey. Even the air itself is different, a much more humid and thick air that my friends and family back home would probably call soupy.

There are other differences too that span outside the weather world. The people of Mississippi State and Starkville are kind and inviting. Even to people from far away, they treat them with the same respect and friendliness that could be reserved for close friends. Perhaps the only thing more welcoming than its people is the food. Southern homestyle cooking has quickly found its way to my heart, and may take up a semi-permanent residence there.

Just a few weeks have passed since I first arrived here in Starkville, Mississippi, and I am already finding a great community and what can be a great home for me over the next two years. And I am not alone in this. Starkville and Mississippi State can be a great home for you too.