Cassidy Porter
“There are our people that are so caring and involved with one another that like it really makes our community a community and not just a place to live”
Interview
“Can you state your name and your age?”
“My name is Cassidy Porter. I am 21 years old, and I am the artist behind this showcase”
“Cassidy, how long have you been a citizen of Albion?”
“I’ve been a citizen my whole life, so 21 years”
“Okay, what are you involved in within the Albion community?”
“I’m the assistant manager at Pure Albion. I’m the social media manager and YAC advisor at the Albion Community Foundation. I’m a current Albion College senior. I’m also a Build Albion Fellow within the college community which really gets me involved in other community projects and different programs and organizations in that way”
“Okay, why did you choose Washington Gardner for the location of this interview?”
“So I choose Washington Gardner because it’s kind of an interesting place for me. I never actually went to school here. I took one college class here, but that doesn’t really count because I wanted to go here in the public school system because my family has a really long history at this school. I have a great grandparent that graduated here, my grandparents graduated here. They were the last graduating class. My parents went here, my sister went here, my parents got engaged here. So there is this long lineage and history that I always wanted to be a part of, but it’s like I never was. It was a community that I felt like I should have been in, but I wasn’t”
“So what is Albion to you? Are there specific people, locations, feelings that make it?”
“Oh definitely. There are so many different things that make Albion. There are locations like Washington Gardner being like an iconic place, the Coke sign, different parks, like all these remarkable things. But then there’s more to it. There are our people that are so caring and involved with one another that like it really makes our community a community and not just a place to live. So, I think it’s an intertwining of all these different factors that make Albion it”
“So, would you consider Albion to be your home and if so, why?”
“I would definitely consider Albion to be my home besides just this place being where I was born and raised. This is where I spent my life, and I have such a long family history too. This is the place that brings me comfort, it’s someplace I love being at. I relax here. But at the same time I’ve learned and I’ve grown here. So, I have so many memories. It is a home to me”
“Okay. What does Albion mean to you?”
“Albion means understanding, caring, and giving back to other people. Learning about other people. And really truly thinking outside of yourself, but it’s also learning and understanding and like growing as people as well”
“Okay, then in what ways do you think Albion could improve?”
“So, like most places I think there’s multiple facets in which we could improve. There’s physical places we could improve, there’s mental and other states we could improve. But some of the ways I think we could improve would be to have a better understanding of one another. I think there’s still a decent disconnect between community members, college members, even like the different school districts around us about understanding who Albion truly is and what it means to all these different people. So, I think if we were to openly communicate and have dialogue and sit and listen and understand one another we’d have a better, a better place to live to improve everyone’s experience.
I also think that we could improve on our pridefulness. Like we are a very prideful town and that is something no one can ever take from us. We love where we’re from and we love who we are, and that’s great. I just think sometimes being humble enough to accept help where we need help and like understanding that there are people out here trying to do good for us and like, like it’s okay to accept and want that help. Even, even if we weren’t on the street asking for it. You know? So like, that’s some ways I think we could improve”
“Yeah okay. And last question here. If you could describe Albion in one word, what word would you use?”
“I would say Albion is connected”