I am not from Greenville

One of the things most college students dread every syllabus week is icebreakers. That slightly awkward moment where you have to announce your name, major, year in school, maybe a fun fact, and the statement that always plagued me, my hometown. While it may not sound like a big deal, it has always been high on my anxiety list. Something about the thought of having to explain where my tiny town is located and possibly getting puzzled or strange looks from classmates terrified me. 

I was raised in Walstonburg, North Carolina, a town with a population of 208 in Greene County, which is so small the entire county has only one high school. My family has roots in Greene County going back countless generations. I literally live on Walston Road in Walstonburg, if that helps put things into perspective. Greene County is perfectly nestled between the cities of Wilson, Kinston, Goldsboro, and Greenville. Even though I love my little slice of rural living, it has always been much easier on countless first days of classes to just say I'm from Greenville, a quick 20-minute drive from home, and avoid the awkwardness of explaining where I’m from. My go-to statement? “I’m from Greenville, North Carolina, like ECU.” Mentioning ECU not only swiftly navigates the geographical puzzle of my hometown but also aligns me with a more widely recognized location. So many of my friends go to ECU or are from Greenville so it had never been a hard stretch, especially to strangers. 

Other than avoiding having to explain geographically where Walstonburg is located, it's become a way for me to avoid being connected to any Southern stereotypes. The assumption that individuals hailing from rural southern towns are inherently less educated or intelligent has always lingered in my mind. As someone who has been referred to as a redneck in a derogatory way, it made sense for me to take any small steps to not put that impression in my classmate's or professors minds. However, coming up to the end of my time here at UNC, I’ve realized how proud I am of my roots and my accomplishments. There is no reason to avoid the conversation anymore. 

After over 3.5 years at UNC, I'm finally ready to say, my name is Amber Lee and I am from Walstonburg, North Carolina.