University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students come from all over the place, with some from small towns and others from huge cities. Students take to college with them their love of their hometowns, which helps form their perspective on the world.

Sophomore Curtis Sagstetter described that his hometown of Watertown, Minn., consists of 4,386 people. He said, “My favorite part about it being this size is that everything is comfortable and familiar. You’ve seen almost everybody around town before; whether that be at our local restaurant, sports events, or even just walking around.”

Freshman Molly Mason’s hometown of Prairie du Chien, Wis., has a population of close to 6,000 people. She described, “The best part about living in a town this size is that our community really comes together to help others. Due to the small amount of people, when a family is struggling, or a sports team is going to state, the whole city is in support.”

Alaina Govek came to UWL from Verona, Wis. This city has a population of around 10,000. She stated, “It’s nice because I regularly see people I know, but it’s big enough that everyone doesn’t know everything about my life.”

Senior Laikyn Boettcher’s hometown is Osseo, Wis., a town of 1,700 people. She described, “It had its ups and downs. I loved how close-knit it was and how many opportunities I had to volunteer, play sports, be involved in musicals and clubs, etc. However, news always traveled very quickly, good or bad.”

Sophomore Leo Calix came to UWL from Eagle River, Wis. His town has a population of 1,300, and he likes that he “knew everybody.”

Although almost every student comes from a different town, each one of them chose UWL to be their new home.