Sometimes college life can seem like a slew of classes, tests and homework assignments for students. An endless cycle of stress, anxiety and course work all leading up to the rest of our lives. Sometimes the worries can seem so big, so catastrophic, it takes over all other aspects of our daily lives. However, between these stressed-out moments are places and people which make up our college experience. These moments define who we are. This is a focus on those places, this is the close up.
“The arboretum is really special. It allows you to kind of get away from stuff and relax, to get back into nature without having to leave campus,” Megan Dalton said. “I like being outdoors, so it’s nice to be able to see that. I go with other people from my major and we will go explore.”
“I’ve been here for one semester, I really like the old arboretum, it is really beautiful, it’s like a big forest,” Alex Pape said. “I think it’s just super pretty and it’s something that a lot of college campuses don’t have like a miniature forest in the middle of them.”
“One place that immediately comes to mind is the Hello Walk because it is really nice and peaceful. I really like the campus because it’s just so vibrant when the sun is out, it’s very nice and I really like it,” Julena Le said. “I always tell everyone who asks about U of I that the campus is gorgeous and the perfect size. It’s one of the things that I like about being here.”
Photo Story by Cody Allred
Design by Lindsay Trombly