Parents’ Week: A Daughter’s Defiance

In preparation for Parents’ Weekend, we have asked our staff writers’ parents to submit blog posts to The Quad. Our staff writer Ingrid Adamow’s (COM’14) mother, Louise Adamow, wrote this post for us about Ingrid’s brash choice to eschew her genetic ties to UCONN.

My daughter, Ingrid, comes from a UConn family. She is the first in three generations to decide to attend a different university.

The ride to BU was one of acceptance of her defiance. She had always wanted to attend Boston University, but when she was given a half scholarship to Carnegie Mellon, the tide shifted (at least for me).

“Come on, Ingrid, Pittsburgh can be a fun city! It’s not that far!” Ingrid remained steadfast, though. Her grandfather was founder of the UConn club and recipient of the distinguished alumni award. He tried in vain to sway the firm high school senior. (“Hell, they don’t even have a football team!”)

In the end, BU won us all over. From a campus tour on the first visit to the day of her move-in freshman year to Warren Towers, we have not been disappointed. On move-in day, the tech personnel came around and asked if she needed help setting up her internet. It was a simple, standard gesture they were being paid to do, but I was impressed by the personal, thoughtful service provided by the school. In a large city, in a large school, in a large dorm, BU got it right. They knew for me there was only one freshman that day. I hope every student and parent feels the hearts that lead the work at BU.

Ingrid’s been embraced by the community and her professors have been kind, all while maintaining the best standards. She made the right choice (even granddad finally agreed); she’s happy and thriving. All that worry about being hit by the T, getting lost in a large city, feeling lonely and alone on a big campus … all for naught. Ingrid maneuvers the T like a pro, has enjoyed few lost steps in Boston, and isn’t one bit alone; I guess a large city breeds, oxymoronically, a sense of belonging. And so the ride from a small hometown in Connecticut to Boston with an eighteen year old full of defiance has been worth the trip. Even a UConn grad mom, whose daughter let go a scholarship to CMU, knows that when you lead with your heart, you end up… at Boston University!