Homecoming season is around the corner and students will be ready to show off their clubs and teams and engage with alumni and friends as soon they return from fall break.
With the sixth week of the semester coming to a close, homecoming gives the SRU community a chance to connect with friends and family in the quiet, rural Pennsylvania town many call a second home.
This issue, The Rocket staff members shared their own thoughts on what “home” meant to them. Here are some of our responses.
Home may not be defined by a physical location, but the 14 staff members of The Rocket consider SRU our second home. So, what is The Rock?
The Rock is the idea where everyone fundamentally believes they have a place on campus, including in a major, club or group of friends that support their needs and interests.
The Rock is the pride we share when we come together as a community and also the support we give to one another in hard times.
The Rock is the notion that our community will make strides to make sure every student, regardless if they are freshmen or have been in Slippery Rock their entires lives, feels that they belong and are loved and cared for.
Whether you’ve been here for a few weeks or are visiting back to reconnect with old friends, welcome home to The Rock.
1Karl Ludwig, sports editor
Home is where I can feel comfortable and at peace. It’s where my mind wanders when I’m not there.
2Emily Heyn, asst. ads manager
Home is the place where I feel most comfortable. It’s not dependent on a specific place but where my friends and family are, or where I feel the most myself.
3Lesa Bressanelli, copy/web editor
Home is a place not bound by blood or material possession, but defined by the presence of love, comfort and acceptance.
Home is a place not bound by blood or material possessions. It is a place defined by its infinite capacity of acceptance, love and compassion surrounded by those who have your best interests at heart. In that way, home is truly like a Rock.
4Nicole Tolliver, ads manager
[Home is a] warm and fuzzy feeling . . . especially when I’m cuddling my cat.
5Allison Downs, news editor
To me, home means a sense of belonging. Home is somewhere you feel accepted, loved and appreciated.
SRU has become a second home to for these reasons. The friends I’ve made in classes and The Rocket staff have truly made me feel accepted, appreciated and loved.
6Brendan Howe, asst. campus life editor
The place and people you feel most comfortable in/with.
7Zack Bonnette, asst. sports editor
Home means a place where you can go that you always feel safe, comfortable and loved. No matter what highs and lows that life puts me through, home is a place that I know will always support me.
Slippery Rock is a place that always pushes me to become a better version of myself. Whether it is being inspired by my roommates or fellow classmates, I know that Slippery Rock gives me all the tools I need to grow. Even when I’m feeling great or feeling down, I know that I can always count on those around me to have my back.
8Hannah Slope, asst. photo editor
Home is not one specific place, but rather, wherever my friends, family and people that I love are. That is home.
9Aaron Marrie, multimedia editor
Home doesn’t have to be a place. Home can be where your heart draws you, where you feel loved and are surrounded by loved ones.
When it comes to Slippery Rock, it is a home. You are near your friends that can become your family. You meet the people you will never forget that you will love for life. Slippery Rock is home because you are constantly surrounded by the people you love.
10Keegan Beard, photo editor
Home to me is wherever I feel like I belong. Whether that’s with friends, family or alone in the woods on a mountain. A wise man once said that home is people, not a place.
11Hope Hoehler, campus life editor
Home means a welcoming place where you’re accepted. Home is somewhere you can count on the people there with you and know that they’ll support you. Home is somewhere you can go when you’re sad. Not to be cliche but home is where the heart is.
SRU is home to me because I consider The Rocket my second family. SRU is a place I feel comfortable, happy and welcomed by friends and faculty. SRU is my second home and it means a lot to me.
12Sam Shiel, asst. copy/web editor
Home means somewhere where you feel that you belong or where you are not afraid to be yourself.
13Hannah Shumsky, editor-in-chief
Home is a place where I feel confident in myself and able to support those around me to make true life-long friendships.
In the short two-plus years that I’ve been at SRU, I’m so incredibly lucky to have met extraordinary people who have been supportive and encouraging throughout my entire experience. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
14Nina Cipriani, asst. news editor
Home is where family and friends are. Home is wherever you feel welcomed and loved, where you can be yourself and not feel judged.
Surprisingly enough, Slippery Rock has already turned into my home away from home. My bed here is more comfortable than my bed at home. I have developed a daily routine that works for me, which makes being here much more of a comfortable experience. The Rock has become my new home. My roommates and I have a special bond, so much so that they feel like sisters to me. I am surrounded by a loving, welcoming, non-judgmental community, and that is what is so important about having a “home.”
