“I went to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. It was close to home and I wanted to experience a small town. If your car was stuck in the snow, people would stop and help. You don’t know that people like that exist until you go to these small towns. You get a feel for that in St. Charles, too. Like, once I got some cash out from the self-checkout at Home Depot and accidentally left it in the tray. This lady came running out the door to give it to me.

Living in Fulton was the first time I’d been to a community where only five or ten Jewish people existed. I got some questions like, ‘Do you turn the lights on during the weekends?’ and my freshman roommate asked, ‘Do you celebrate your own birthday?’ People thought I was almost alien-like. I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m human. I’m American just like you are.’ But it was cool because I’m really open about being Jewish. There was one guy in the fraternity house next door who grew up with a family full of Holocaust deniers. He was convinced, too. We became good friends. One night after having some liquid courage, he told me that he grew up that way. He said after coming to college, taking a few classes, and meeting me it opened up his mind.”

📷| Colleen O’Connell Smyth