Forget the top-earning 1 percent. I feel much more privileged being one of the 0.55 percent of Americans lucky enough to have grown up in Durango. Durango has shaped who I am.
Though I was born in Denver, my parents moved my two younger sisters and I to Durango when we were 7, 4 and 1. To all five of us, Durango is home. I left Durango when I was 18 for college and moved to New York City. I stayed in Manhattan after graduating from New York University, so it’s been six years since I lived in Durango. However, with my youngest sister now graduating from Durango High School, I’ve reflected on how relevant Durango still is in my life.
I met my best friend at Steamworks in Durango when I was 13. He also ended up at NYU, and we are closer than ever in the Big Apple. This summer, he and I both left New York to depart on adventures – he to Africa then China, me to Cambodia to volunteer and travel. We both decided to do this alone; a decision which many of our peers thought to be extreme, but one neither of us questioned.
Six weeks into my trip to Cambodia, I’m now preparing to meet another friend I met at Riverview Elementary in Burma. He happens to be working at a solar company there. Next, a friend from high school and I will overlap in Thailand and have decided to scuba dive together for a week. These aren’t coincidences, this is Durango.
Among the benefits of growing up in Durango is the instilled bravery we develop. You see, us Durango kids go courageously through life because we know we are never really alone. Growing up here together, you’re always there for each other. To my amazing sister and all those about to leave for college, hold your hometown with pride. No one can take your childhood away from you. Know that you are never alone, and always remember how brave you are.
Leah Gervais
Siem Reap, Cambodia
