My number one criteria for picking a college was that it had to be in Boston. The summer before my senior year of high school, I was taking creative writing classes at another local college, and I realized that Boston was an amazing place to be in school. There are students from all over the world living here, tons of cultural opportunities, an amazing historical legacy, and lots of fun things to do. If you’ve never experienced fall in New England, that could be reason enough to come to Boston. The smell of the brisk fall air, leaves changing colors and crunching underfoot, and the fresh flavors of pumpkin and apple are some of my favorite things. Lately, I’ve been really appreciating being in the vicinity of other colleges. Last week, I went to a rally at Boston University for Stand Up Against Poverty. We were part of over 38.7 million people worldwide who stood up to show their commitment to fighting poverty and accomplishing the UN Millennium Development Goals. 79 students at Simmons College were a part of that movement too. Last night, I went to a comedy show at Harvard with a friend from BU, that benefited Kiva. Kiva is a microfinance company that allows ordinary people to help give loans to people in need in other countries. It’s so easy! I was able to partner with people from Ontario, California, Florida, Tennessee, and many other places to help a woman in Nicaragua get her business off the ground. I highly recommend you check it out. I’m so glad that I am in a place where I can learn to have a positive global impact. How cool is that?