Hummingbirds

I was searching for schools that were off the beaten path, schools with unique curricula and unique students, and I found Prescott. I had only briefly considered the school before I received a phone call out of the blue from a student working in admissions. Suddenly half an hour had passed and I was planning my entrance essay.

I began to ask around about Prescott College, and what I heard only strengthened my suspicions that it was the place for me. A friend of mine, a friend I seem to meet only fleetingly and in a different state each time, a friend who drives an old BMW without power steering around the country, told me that Prescott, AZ was a place he would never forget. He said it was, out of all the places he had been, one of the most special.

He wasn’t the only one to say favorable things about the glowing communities here in town. A touring poet I know from Boston travelled all around Arizona, and Prescott was his favorite part of the state, by far.

Through my own exploits in the New England poetry scene, I had come to know myself as a writer. I needed to be in an academic environment that did not simply assign chapters and give standard prompts, but would immerse me in a community of artistic growth and excitement. I spoke with students, read articles, studied degree plans, and all these together conspired to convince me that not only was Prescott a unique and wondrous place, it was a place that offered me the opportunity to study exactly what I needed to.

The more I researched, the more Prescott beckoned to me. My admissions counselor, Andrea Mersmann, was calling me as well, though by decidedly more conventional means. She became the voice of Prescott College, and through countless emails and telephone conversations, what was once a suspicion became a safe bet. Prescott College was my school of choice.

I am now in Prescott, sitting in my apartment, typing this up. Outside my window I can clearly see Thumb Butte, the glorious hikeable rock formation looming over town. There is thunder in the distance and my lovely hummingbirds are still gathering nectar despite the imminent downpour.

In only three days I have met more people than I can count on my two hands, all of them helpful, friendly, and interesting. It is such a dream come true to find myself here. So many months of planning are finally my reality.

I have about a week before orientation begins and only have to stop at the bookstore before I have all the necessary supplies. I can only imagine what is in store for all of us new Prescott students on our upcoming adventures. I can hardly wait.

-Estin Vogel, 08.24.11