Mount Pleasant residents decide to stay in town for college
Nick Cesena knows what it is like to grow up next to a university.
He did it right in Mount Pleasant.
Cesena, a freshmen, is one of a select few students who decided to stay in Mount Pleasant and attend Central Michigan University, his first choice.
“I definitely wanted to go to CMU — it’s a great university,” Cesena said.
But Cesena, who played four years of football and was homecoming king his senior year, found his niche doing something a little different than athletics.
He decided to become a CMU cheerleader.
“I was kind of looking into how to get involved at the university,” he said. “I have friends that were on the team and told me they thought I could do it.”
Knowing his town inside and out and being able to drive home to do laundry are perks of living close to home, Cesena said.
The full college experience
Other locals such as junior Dan Jackson, however, did not think Mount Pleasant would be their college home.
“I initially decided on University of Colorado-Boulder but, then, I realized that I could either pay out-of-state tuition or I could go to CMU,” Jackson said. “It definitely became an economical factor.”
Mount Pleasant is the perfect size to grow up in and CMU is a good school, Jackson said, but living in town forever is not exactly desirable.
He said he was not sure about the idea initially.
“It was kind of a sacrifice at first but, now that I’ve accepted it, I’ve really just made CMU that much more of a home. It’s just so much nicer,” Jackson said.
Jackson went one step farther and moved into Barnes Hall because he received a Leadership Advancement Scholarship.
“We’re kind of required to live there, but there was the option I could live at home,” he said. “I decided, ‘You know what, if I’m going to CMU, I need to actually go to CMU and meet people.’”
A quick transfer
Sophomore Heather Burch also grew up in Mount Pleasant.
After graduating high school, Burch attended Alma College to get away from home.
“I didn’t even consider Central,” Burch said.
She said CMU just seemed too close. But Alma just did not feel right. After one year, she transferred.
“My high school was 1,200 people, and Alma was 1,400 people, so it was just like high school all over again. You saw the same faces every day, and you didn’t really get that university feel, and that’s what I was looking for,” Burch said.
Burch decided to live off campus with friends and enjoys being independent even when living so close to home.
As a member of the club volleyball team, Burch likes that her family lives close enough to come watch her play.
Also, her brother plays sports for his high school and she can go home for a family meal and her brother’s sporting events.
She said the only thing she misses is not being able to explore a new town, but she is happy with her decision to transfer.
“I know so many people who transferred back. I’m like, really happy with it,” Burch said.
