Recent Alumni Make Buffalo, NY Home
As one of two major cities that are driving distance from Houghton College, Buffalo, New York is a favorite spot for students to go on weekends, whether they are shopping, jumping the stress away at SkyZone, or volunteering with Journey’s End Tutoring (JET). But the second largest city in New York State is not only home to the Walden Galleria mall and the eclectic shops of Elmwood village, it is also the home of many former Houghton students. Sarah Hutchinson ’14, Alexandra Hood ’15, Liana Wool ’16, and Morgan Loghry ’16 all moved to Buffalo shortly after graduating from Houghton, and have since settled in the city.
A political science major with minors in history, Hutchinson, who had also worked for The Star throughout her time at Houghton, did not know what she wanted to do with her degree upon graduation. She ultimately decided to pursue an AmeriCorps term in Buffalo at a nonprofit community health center that serves refugees and people trapped by poverty, Jericho Road Community Health Center, which was founded by a Houghton graduate. After her year-long term of service, Hutchinson was hired full-time by her organization.
“Initially I was attracted to Buffalo because of the high population of refugees,” said Hutchinson. “Since about the early 2000s, thousands of refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Somalia, Iraq, and other countries have been resettled here. They have been instrumental for the renaissance going on in the city right now, lots of vacant houses in the city are now occupied, new businesses are opening.”
Hood, meanwhile, chose Buffalo because she was looking for an artistic community to engage with. While at Houghton, she majored in art and worked for both the Campus Activities Board and Caffeinated Creative Studio. She also directed Printed Matter Press (PMP), a small group of art and design students who printed and sold their work to attend the annual Southern Graphics Conference. She credits PMP with revealing her passion.
“I was constantly surrounded by artists who were creating,” she said. “It was easy to for me to feel encouraged in what I was making when there was always someone to share ideas with. I wanted this when looking for a new place to live.” So far, she has found this creative community in Buffalo, where along with working as a barista, she is interning at the Western New York Book Arts Center and selling her own work, which includes stationary and handmade books. She added, “Art is meant to be experienced and I believe it is an incredible outlet for all types of people. Buffalo is certainly a place where that is possible.”
Wool graduated from Houghton in December 2015 with a major in Intercultural Studies and a minor in Human Ecology. In college, she participated in several off-campus programs, including the East Meets West honors program, a semester in London, a semester in Tanzania, and the Buffalo City Semester. In her sophomore year, she interned at a refugee-based nonprofit in Buffalo that inspired her to dedicate her life to working on behalf of individuals with less of a voice in their new culture. After some searching following her graduation, she now works as a case manager at Journey’s End Refugee Services in the city.
When asked what she likes best about Buffalo, Wool replied, “I would say the ability to live in a place that pushes you to look challenges in the face that in other environments you might be able to ignore is incredible.” She continued, “ Living and working in a city with your eyes wide open challenges to you live and have your being in a way that truly reflects the Gospel.”
Also a 2016 graduate, Loghry moved to Buffalo with the intention of working in a creative field. At Houghton, she majored in fine arts with a minor in graphic design, and worked in several creative jobs on campus, including as a graphic designer in the marketing and communication department, and as a campus photographer for events and portraits. She helped to co-found Caffeinated Creative Studio, now Gild Studio, and was a gallery assistant in the Ortlip Gallery her senior year. The summer after her junior year, she moved to Buffalo, and decided to stay there and look for work after graduating.
“Living in Buffalo has articulated what I discovered about myself when I was in Houghton,” said Loghry. “I have had a variety of jobs in my time here so far. No one ever told me that finding a job I loved would be this hard.” She began working in a design position for a high-class fashion company, but soon realized that she did not share the same values as her bosses. “My background at Houghton taught me where to draw the line when it comes to commercial advertising and how to use tasteful tactics to appeal to your desired audience.”
For now, Loghry is working part-time as a photographer for the food delivery service GrubHub, and full-time at a photography studio. She added, “I am open to trying anything in this beautiful city. My time here has taught me that is matters less what I am doing, but that I am actively living creatively around people who challenge me.”
All of these alumni agree that there are many reasons to love Buffalo. And while they miss certain aspects of Houghton, like the natural scenery and the security, they also agree that Buffalo is an excellent place for graduates to take their first steps into post-graduate life.
“I would encourage Houghton students looking to work in Buffalo to really get involved with the city, to study and love its particulars, to volunteer, and to really consider it as a unique place and your place in it,” said Hutchinson. When asked what she would say to students looking to move to Buffalo, Loghry echoed Hutchinson with one pithy statement:
“Come join the party!”