The recession has been tough on everyone and sophomore Michael Farmer is no exception to the fact. Aside from having to live on campus and live the dorm life, Farmer has had a tough time trying to convince his parents that living off campus is feasible.
“I’d like to get a job down here my senior year so I can get out of the dorms and live off campus, but that’s not going to be easy the way things have been going.”
Farmer sat down next to me and was really open to the facts. His hat was backwards and he had on a white t-shirt with khakis. He is definitely an approachable guy.
“I studied abroad in London last summer, and I wanted to do it again this year, but again the economy got the best of me,” he said. “It just isn’t a possibility this year.”
Farmer is from Stowe, Vermont. He made sure to mention how tough the recession has been on his hometown.
“See, Stowe is a tourism-driven town. People go there for vacation to ski, snowboard…stuff like that,” he paused and asked if I was getting all this. I nodded.
“This summer I will be looking for a job, but it will be difficult because the business is so far down back home. Recreation events drive Stowe and people aren’t traveling as much.”
I asked how his family is coping with the economy.
“Well, it hasn’t been too bad. My mom is a speech teacher, so…”
Farmer looked down for a moment, evidence of the fact that everyone truly has been affected, but regardless of how much, Farmer remained positive about the future.
“I was trying to convince my parents to let me invest in some stocks,” he said, “I checked the other day and if I would have bought some shares of the company I was eyeing, I would have had double the returns!”
Farmer elicits the type of mindset that many Americans will need to adopt to recover from the recession. His casual demeanor and calm responses reminded me of the straight, simple, and true fact: optimism will prevent the nation from falling further into a whirlwind of economic woes and taking risks…well, that’s the American way.
“I haven’t been using my credit card very much,” said Mike with a grin, “but I really do want a new TV.”
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