Humans of Swarthmore: Isys Nelms

Isys Nelms is in ninth grade at Strath Haven High School, and is the eldest child of Swarthmorean associate editor Satya Nelms. Photo: Satya Nelms

I’m from Swarthmore. Well, I wasn’t born here, but I am from here. We moved here when I was one, so I’ve lived here 13 years.

Swarthmore is a very typical small town. It’s like the town the main character in a movie would drive through and maybe stop to get coffee. It has always felt like more of a stopping place than a permanent residence to me. 

My grandmother, Jeannine Osayande, lives in the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, so I’ve always felt that, even with the majority of the town being white, I have somewhere to go where I feel surrounded by people who are more similar to me. That’s always been a place where I can go where I feel like I belong.

Swarthmore is a pretty tight-knit community. I walk down the street and know almost everyone I see. That can be good, but it can be… interesting trying to change the minds of people who have known you your whole life.

When you’ve grown up around people, it’s difficult to express discontent. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t want to make them feel bad that I’m not content with their actions. Even if those actions are not up to snuff.