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I was born on April 22, 2004, in South Bend, Indiana. Twenty-one Aprils later and I’m still in South Bend, Indiana.

Growing up, we used to say there were two types of people here: the ones who love South Bend and the ones who hate it. As for me, I’ve always loved South Bend. And, while I don’t see myself spending my life here, this place will always be my home.

I lived in the same blue house my entire life, until I turned 18 and moved five minutes away to a bigger house named Farley. When I was younger, my neighbors would sit on the porch with my parents and watch the summer sunset, while us kids waited for the fireflies to come out. On Wednesdays, we played wiffleball. Every other day, we biked to Notre Dame, got sick from too much candy and played pool in the basement of LaFortune. We did not know how to play pool. It makes me laugh to remember these things because now, as a Notre Dame student, seeing 10-year-old townies infiltrating my student center would probably irritate me.

From our parents’ perspective, Notre Dame was safe, and we had free rein of it. I remember the first time I went to a Notre Dame game alone, just me and my other 9-year-old friend. We got the tickets from a friend of my parents’ trunk at a tailgate, found our seats just fine, and the only money we had for the concession stand was a 50-cent coin. It was a blast.

In the summers, I would walk the East Bank Trail — a South Bend landmark — down to a pretty house by the river, where my fellow Harter Heights Players and I practiced “Hamlet” for the ND Shakespeare Festival’s “Shakescenes.” I was five or six years old, and it was my first role. I played the table where the poison went. My director was Julie Thomas, who would eventually be my academic advisor during my first year at Notre Dame.

I loved Notre Dame as a kid. But there was more to South Bend than Notre Dame. There was the East Side Little League, where my dad coached and all us kids had games every Sunday. There were lots of sports — soccer, basketball, softball, swimming — before I realized I was bad at sports. There were plays at the Civic Theatre, or the Morris Performing Arts Center. There was the 4H fair. There was the river, and the lights. There was ice skating at Howard Park back before it was redone, and there was feeding the ducks in the pond at Leeper Park. There was the ice cream truck. There were South Bend Silver Hawks games before they became the Cubs. There was walking to Macri’s bakery after grade school to get a big snickerdoodle cookie. There were 20 consecutive birthdays at Rocco’s Pizza, where Warren and Linda knew all of our names, where my sister worked before she went to college. There were trips to Studebagels or Chicory Cafe after church on Sunday. Years later, I smiled with pride as I took my college friends to Studebagels right before they closed it down last summer. If you’re from South Bend, you’ll never forget the mural painted on the wall of Studebagels, with various South Benders enjoying coffee and bagels: the doctor in his labcoat, the French guy, the kids, the couple, the cops, the football player and the weird little guy with the glasses — I think his name was Stu — and I really miss him a lot.

I love South Bend, and I’m proud to have passed that love on, at least partially, to my friends. We’ve gone to South Bend Chocolate Café together — where I had my fourth birthday party — for root beer and board games. We’ve taken walks along the river and rafted in it. And you should too! I just took some friends tubing at St. Patrick’s County Park, and it was one of the most fun days I’ve had this year, just flying down the hill alongside the Amish. Newfs is great, I’m sure. It’s also next door to the South Bend Library, which is newly renovated and a great place to study or find a book. Go take a walk around Howard Park and down the river, and then get lunch at the General or the Lauber. Feeling crunchy? Go to Purple Porch Co-op for some kombucha. Get breakfast at Yellow Cat! Explore downtown. Go thrifting at the Goodwill on Western and get tacos at Taqueria Chicago or ice cream at La Rosita’s after. I’m telling you, you won’t regret it. If you think there’s nothing to do in South Bend, it’s because you’ve never tried to get to know South Bend. I know this is true, because every time I think I have done everything there is to do in South Bend, I find something new. I really urge you to take a chance to go live in the city that will be your home for at least four years of your life. You’re really missing out if you don’t.

South Bend is a place I’m proud of. Nothing excites me more than talking about or hearing about my hometown. One of the highlights of my semester has been hearing my professor, Francisco Robles, take every possible chance to defend South Bend to my class. He actively makes connections between the class material and this historical city, and he encourages us to get out into what he calls “a really great place to live.” I’m very grateful for his kind words, which make me smile with pride every time.

At the end of March, I had the honor of opening for Del Water Gap at the Student Union Board’s annual Sound of SUB concert. And after the show, when the lead singer asked where I was from, you can imagine my excitement at the opportunity to talk about a place as special as South Bend.

TLDR: I love South Bend. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.