I grew up in the small town of Claremont in Southern California, which had a population of around 25,000 when I came of age. Whenever I tell my friends where I came from, I tell them, "Claremont, where the colleges are, not the Clairemont in San Diego County."
Whenever I think of Claremont, a few different things come to mind: the citrus groves that used to dominate the landscape, Indian Hill Boulevard, and the massive trees that line the street along Memorial Park (and all the fun I had there growing up), and the Claremont Colleges.
When I talk to most people, they immediately recognize Claremont because of the colleges. Growing up, I honestly did not know how prestigious the universities were. They were just in my backyard. My parents, of course, understood the significance of the colleges, and that is one of the reasons they wanted to move to Claremont. Both of my parents were teachers, and they knew that we would get a good public education.
After graduating from Claremont High School, I moved to Long Beach to attend California State University, Long Beach. This was one of the first moments in my life when I realized how privileged and sheltered my upbringing in Claremont had been. Not because we were wealthy, but because I had never experienced any serious crime or violence.
While real-world issues did make their way into Claremont from time to time and were debated vigorously throughout town and the colleges, it was all on an academic level. There were no protests in the street, no segregated parts of town, and no visible wealth inequality. People would discuss current topics, and the Claremont Courier might run an article, but what was happening in the outside world didn't significantly impact my everyday life. My parents, along with my friends and the town I grew up in, were the most influential factors in my upbringing.