Where I Am From

Shortly before leaving my position as a Hall Director at NDSU, my supervisor asked my colleagues and me to write a “where I am from” statement. As a reference he showed us “Where I am From: Student Affairs Practice from the Whole of Students’ Lives” by Borrego and Manning. The goal of our “where I am from” statement was to provide others with a sense of where we are from in regard to location, lineage, socially and other aspects that make us who we are. I thought I would share mine with you. Here it is:

"I am a Sojourner" by Jeremy Adelman

I am from small town Minnesota
Power plants, furniture stores and football teams
These are the things that we are known for
Shining stars, manure and coyotes fill the senses
What a great place to start this journey
To begin this taleWhich I hope to finish well

I am from Germans, Irish and Catholics
Hard working, blue collar hands
That helped forge our great lands
While I must also carry the sins of my fathers
I am proud to be
At the end of my family tree

I am from an opportunity for education
After high school was finished
The city on the red became my destination
Filled with Bison pride, I joined the herd
It was a catalyst for immense growth
As I found my calling, my wife and the start of my career
I am now leaving, not just a city
But friends, memories and a place to call home
To the Minnesota capital I go
A future unknown, but a new place to call home

Most ultimately, I am from an eternal kingdom, a world unseen
For this world is not my home
I am a sojourner, an alien, who is just passing through
My residence was granted when He became what He was not
So I could become what I was not
I traded my guilt for His innocence
And my shame for His glory
I am from an eternal kingdom
And one day I will truly be going home.