Staff Writer Abbey Zhao explores life at Columbia in the context of being from Ohio.

With freshman year and NSOP comes the infamous question: “Where are you from?” And my answer will always be prefaced with “unfortunately,” because, unfortunately, I’m from Ohio.

We’ve become the new Florida. Move aside, Florida man, Ohio’s taking your place as the butt of the joke. 

And as an Ohioan, I half get it. Travel 30 minutes outside the city, and you’re in corn land. We’re boring, and we don’t have much to do. The geographical features can be lacking, and we’re not exactly the state history nerds want to visit. We’ve got a handful of good things—some zoos, amusement parks, Lake Erie, and whatnot.

But in our defense, we’re not that special. That doesn’t sound like a good start to my argument, but bear with me. Not to throw them under the bus, but I bet Missouri and Kansas also have plenty of corn and hay. We have pretty places and fun things to do—nothing noteworthy, but then again, how many states have thrillingly famous attractions? Sometimes, I even forget I left because the weather’s so similar, and it’s relatively quiet in Morningside. So then, why do we get flamed specifically? 

Well, we are known for our brain rot. Thanks Tiktok! We get featured in all the songs, jokes, and the infinite number of iterations that can be made with them. The times I’ve responded “I’m from Ohio” and received a “skibidi toilet” in response do not amount to just one. In this digital age, it’s probably the first or second thing in people’s minds. 

Unfortunately, I also miss it. The amount of school spirit in Ohio is absurd—we hate Michigan with every ounce of our hearts. The drives are scenic, prices are lower, biking culture is strong, and the few fun spots that exist are lovely to visit with friends. 

But I’m truly happy to be here. I thought I’d be lacking in green space, but there are so many parks nearby. The public transportation system in Ohio certainly doesn’t compare. The food scene is incredible, and the entertainment scene too. I’m literally from Columbus, the capital city, and somehow, we’re still not always the Ohio stop on every tour. 

In summary, Columbia is great and I don’t foresee myself studying anywhere else. But I’m definitely taking every chance to go back—I guess Ohio just has too much rizz for me to leave it.

Ohio Flag via Flickr