I’m from California. But I’m staying in Delaware.

I’m a rarity in Delaware.
I went to the University of Delaware and stayed in the state as a young adult, yet my cell phone doesn’t possess a 302 area code. In other words, I’m not a born and bred Delawarean, but I’ve stuck around, and now I’m coordinating events and marketing at the Delaware BioScience Association. Here’s why I’m a fervent advocate of the First State:

Family

Delaware isn’t totally random to me. My dad was born and raised in Wilmington. A few years after I moved here for college, my parents also moved to be closer to both sides of the family. Childhood summers my brother and I spent with our grandparents in Hockessin and Rehoboth Beach (as seagulls swiped my vinegar-drenched Thrasher’s fries) cultivated my appreciation for the state.

Museums

I plan to apply the marketing, development and management skills I’m learning at Delaware Bio to pursue a career in museums. Unbeknownst to many, Delaware is a museum-rich environment, hosting the Delaware Art Museum, Winterthur Museum, Brandywine River Museum, Hagley Museum & Library, Delaware Museum of Natural History and Delaware History Museum, to name a few. In addition to this ecosystem (which I was lucky enough to intern within during my college years), I want to stay in Delaware to enroll in UD’s Museum Studies graduate program.

Proximity

Not to invoke the argument of “this place is great because I can easily get away to somewhere better,” but sometimes we all need a little change of pace. This is a huge asset for me, as I absolutely love to travel, especially to see different historical sites and culture within the U.S. Just looking back on my travels from Northern Delaware in the last six months, the following are oh so accessible (and some were even day trips):

• The Delaware beaches have an entirely different feel than New Castle County. There’s great shopping and the ability to exercise Delaware entrepreneurial pride at the Dogfish Head restaurant and brewery (the Capriotti’s of libations).
• Baltimore is the home of adorable three-finned turtles, the best crab in the country and really good tapas in Fells Point.
• If you haven’t been to the Newseum in Washington, D.C., go. ASAP.
• History buffs unite in Gettysburg!

Pride

Though we are small, we are proud. Those who stay in Delaware appreciate what it offers: The undeniable reality that, somehow, everybody knows everybody, the stellar beaches and beautiful scenery and each season’s unique traditions, like Fall’s Return Day and the world championship of pumpkin catapulting.
Delaware has also received incredible recognition for its recent growth.
Our flagship university was recently deemed “a maker of political kings.” Indeed, it’s entirely possible that the 2016 presidential election will be a battle of two Blue Hens, Chris Christie and Joe Biden. We also have an amazing concert lineup this summer, with the stalwart Firefly and two new country music festivals. And of course, there’s the technological, investment-related, bioscience and biotech innovations that Technical.ly Delaware brings to our attention.
Thomas Jefferson was on to something when he called the Small Wonder a “jewel among the states.”