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Washington | Life > Experiences

An Ode to My Home

Dany Villarreal Martinez Student Contributor, University of Washington - Seattle
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

It took me very long to see my home as a beautiful place.

But as I stood atop the iconic hill of Hermosillo, watching the fiery sunset turn from pink to red to purple, I couldn’t help but understand why the name of my hometown has the word hermoso in it. It was truly beautiful. 

But this isn’t the only home I struggled to love. I chose to go to college in Seattle because it wasn’t Tucson, Arizona. It wasn’t hot, small, always the same, and overused. I waved goodbye to my house almost three years ago and didn’t look back until I settled into my first dorm. 

All through high school, I dreamt of college elsewhere. I saw the options limitless as long as they weren’t here. I feel this is a common reason people leave their hometown. They are sick of the same, sick of their family life, sick of the same people everyday. 

My first nine months away from home felt like a breath of fresh air. I got to choose how to spend my days and what classes to take. I found friends out of love and not the convenience of seeing them everyday. I explored different opportunities I would have never gotten in Hermosillo or Tucson.

But the longer I was away the more I saw how much my home did change. My younger brother became a teenager and had directed a couple short films that landed him admission into the University of Arizona. My sister took a break from being a student to gain work experience. My mother returned to work at my old school district. My dogs got older and slower. 

I slowly felt disconnected from it all. Anytime I would come home, a series of arguments with my siblings would follow, and I couldn’t help but think they had outgrown me. When I called home, I always video called so that I could see everyone. I’d specifically ask to see my dogs. After I hung up the phone, it felt bittersweet. 

It took me less than a year to feel guilty for leaving home, and another to realize that is okay. When we are outgrowing a place or person, it is easy to feel constrained and even resentful. However, now I can be thankful to my home and my family, for supporting me through this change in my life. They also let me see that it is okay to miss home, even if you left it willingly. 

Looking over my home this past winter, as the sun kissed it goodnight, I finally saw it for what it is.

Tucson became beautiful because of the people in it. Hermosillo is hot and humid, but my family is in it. Sometimes it takes leaving home to realize how beautiful it is, and that is okay. 

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Dany Villarreal Martinez

Washington '25

Dany Villarreal is a Contributing Writer for Her Campus Washington. She is a senior at the University of Washington studying Journalism and Public Interest Communication with a minor in Law, Societies and Justice. Her dream job is to work as an international reporter covering diplomatic events and international relations. As a Mexican immigrant, her life goal is to give back to the immigrant community by providing truthful and accessible communication. After graduation, she is hoping to write community journalism and gain experience in investigations.


At Her Campus, Dany writes about personal experiences, mental health advice, life and wellness, immigrant/first generation experiences, and more. Dany's work has also been published on various publications, such as the International Examiner, WA Latino News, and Cascade PBS. Fun Fact: her first piece of published media was at the Daily UW, a review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever!

Dany was born and raised in Mexico but lives in Arizona. She has two dogs and a turtle waiting back at home, and many plant babies. She loves autumn, reading, writing, being outside, movies, game nights, live music, and travelling, photography, sports, and more.