For Loyola Marymount University (LMU) freshman Abby Manullang, homesickness is no stranger. As an out-of-state student from Belleview, Washington, she says her first few months away from home presented a whole new challenge for her as a first-year.
“I love LMU, but saying goodbye to my family and friends all the time was hard at first no matter how comfortable I felt here,” says Manullang. “I was overwhelmed because I only knew one other person before coming to LMU. I felt super lost.”
Quickly, however, Manullang says she found her on-campus niches in unexpected places. In her first year, she has spent her time working as an ASLMU Elections Officer, a stage manager for LMU’s student-run theatre The Del Rey Players and as a member of on-campus groups like her sorority Delta Gamma and Campus Ministry’s Christian Life Community. As she became more engaged around campus, she slowly began to feel a sense of home on campus.
Now, Manullang serves on LMU’s newly formed Out of State Student Council. Manullang says that when the opportunity to help other Out Of State students presented itself, she jumped at the chance. “It was just something that popped up in my inbox, and I knew immediately I wanted to get involved,” she says. Now, she commits much of her free time to help LMU better support out-of-state students like herself.
“Because I’m from so far away, I can’t go home as much or drive home if I need something,” she says. “But it makes it a lot easier when you know that other people understand that dynamic and can be there for you when things get hard.”
The council works to put on a variety of events for students from around the nation to help them meet one another, while also accompanying them through the many challenges that students are faced with in their first year away from home. Past events have included self-care workshops, out-of-state voter registration events and a yearly welcome reception for students new to Los Angeles.
“I’ve gotten the chance to work with students who I would have never have met before,” she says. “Having the opportunity to engage with students who are all are coming in with different views of the world around us has pushed me to grow and become a better leader.”
As one of seven students who serve on the council, she says that she still sometimes struggles to be so far from the comforts of home. “It’s especially nice to have a group like this because we all know what it feels like to be in a new place, and without having the ability to go home whenever we want,” she says. For Manullang, stepping out of her comfort zone has led her to explore a new city full of endless possibilities. “I feel fortunate to be from out of state now because I get to experience this incredible place for the first time.”