Students share their thoughts about city rejuvenation

Sidebar: Students share their thoughts about city rejuvenation.

Youngstown State University is often cited as the one thing that can “save” the city since it constantly brings in an outside population, has alternative learning programs and uses hands on employment strategies. The college teaches its students how to have a voice, and what it means to be the future leaders in a city of change. Part of gaining that voice is using it, and Allentown may have already benefited from having six colleges in its backyard feeding the city fresh ideas. Could this be what the future is like for Youngstown? Local students in the two cities respond to the historians’ beliefs that urban living is back on the rise and what they think would bring city life back into full swing.

Lynn Tran, 21, grew up in Allentown and currently attends college at nearby Kutztown University as a graphic design major.

Lynn Tran

Kutztown

“Growing up was tough living in the inner-city,” said Tran, whose parents came to America from South Asia. “People were disrespectful and pessimistic. The schools were bad and there were a lot of fights.”

Things got better as the city grew and welcomed new people, she said. But it still has a long way to go.

“People need to change the way they raise their kids in a changing world,” she said. “They shouldn’t be caught up in the past. That’s more important than education or new policies,” she said.

Monica Bechtel, 20, grew up in rural Columbiana county and attends YSU for photography and graphic design.

“The campus promotes more liberal thinking than I would find in my hometown,” the sophomore said. “My high school taught me as if I was going to stay in that small town my whole life. I want to go places. YSU understands that, and that can mean the difference between a city that shuts itself off and a city that is open to new ideas.”

Monica Bechtel

Youngstown State

The Crestview graduate still has hope. “If the city were to change in the next few years to something more positive, I would stay,” she said. “Right now, it doesn’t sound as appealing as a place like Allentown.”

Growing up in New Jersey, Christopher Gonzalez learned the difference between schooling in a depressed city and a recovered city.

“Back home, the classrooms were packed and crowded,” the recent Kutztown alum said. “But once we got closer to Allentown, things became standardized and kids were getting more individualized, one-on-one attention.”

Christopher Gonzalez

Kutztwn

Gonzalez travels a lot, having family in New York. “It’s helpful having such large cities close to where you live,” he said while enjoying a meal at Friendly’s. “It’s no wonder Allentown is doing so well with modern society so close.”

He hopes that as time goes on, things will get even better.

Michael Kasek has had his fair share in the leadership field as a manager at Panera Bread in Boardman. As a full-time YSU student, he’s also very in-touch will the inner city.

“I certainly hope that Youngstown can pull out of this rut,” Kasek, 21, said. “I’m probably going to be here for another few years, and it would be beneficial to me if I could get a job here when I graduate. It would be nice to live close to home.”

Kasek finds a city like Allentown appealing, and if it’s any hint of the future of Youngstown, smart investors would take notice, he said.

Michael Kasek

Youngstown State

“If the historians are right, then people should stop worrying about where the city is going and start thinking about where they will be when it comes back to life.”