monday, september 15,2003
news
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the university daily kansas
Johanna Maska/Kansan
La'Pourchea McConico, Bonner Springs freshman, talked on the phone while her mother copied recipes for her. LaPourchea went home for the first time since school began.
Freshman forgets college pressures during first trip home of semester
By Johanna M. Maska
jmaska@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Editors Note: This is the second in an occasional series about La'Pourchea McConico, a freshman at KU. Kansan staff writer Johanna Maska is checking in with her throughout her first semester at the University.
Time apart is sealed with a kiss.
Ashley McConico plants one on her sister's cheek. She hasn't seen her older sister for four weeks.
Her sister, La'Pourchea McConico, is returning home to Bonner Springs for the first time since she left for the University of Kansas in August.
La'Pourchea's mom comes on
Things haven't changed much. Outside her family's country cottage, her dog welcomes her with a wag of the tail. Zelda is frozen on the TV screen momentarily for her 14-year-old brother, Josh, to give her a wave.
to give her a hug. She says she misses her daughter, especially in church.
It's been hectic few weeks for La'Pourchea. She's starting to settle into classes, hanging out with a new group of friends and switched roommates. This past week has been particularly trying: La'Pourchea is a resident of Oliver Hall, where Thursday night's tragic death has made things tense.
"It's brought us a lot closer together," she says. "We've realized how precious life is."
Coming home is a welcome relief. Her mom says when McConico lived at home, she was already responsible. She washed the dishes, played the piano at church and kept to her studies while playing sports.
when paying La Pourchea says her mom doesn't need to worry. She's staying true to her values.
As she looks through the recipe books for an almond chicken recipe, she tells her mom that she's cooking dinner for new friends.
She says she's been going out to eat on occasion and that in general, it's been fun.
La'Pourchea tells her mom she is going to a Baptist church in Lawrence. And she's trying to balance her work and school.
College has been fun, but La'Pourchea says she is happy to have a room of her own. Despite little brother Josh camping out in her room, her old stuff is still in place. La'Pourchea has two birds, and since she's left, Ashley and Josh have taken over watering and feeding them.
La'Pourchea is coming home this weekend because money is tight. She wants to do laundry, have her mom do her hair, and pick up some food.
Doing her hair is a long process. During six hours of chemical treatments, her mom relaxes her hair to straighten her curls. It's a long wait, but the going rate for her mom's treatment — free — is much better than the price at a Lawrence salon. La'Pourchea is trying to cut costs by rounding up
essentials from home so she can go out.
Unlike her friends in Bonner Springs, La'Pourchea's group of friends at school is made up of mostly African Americans.
Looking through La'Pourchea's high school yearbook, it's clear that none of the McConico children have been the majority in the past. So coming to KU has given La'Pourchea a chance to meet more people like her.
But she's still happy to be home.
"I miss the little inside jokes and hanging out with my sister," LaPourche says.
Home is still sweet for La'Pourchea. Some comfort, family and free amenities are giving her a boost, even as the weight of school is starting to set in.
"I'm starting to lose focus,"she says. "Sometimes you just have to take a minute to regain your focus."
—Edited by Joey Berlin
Topeka student adjusts to leaving home, family for first time
Z. Gordon Straus/Kansan
Upon her arrival at the University of Kansas, Becky Burns, Topeka freshman, was intimidated by the size of some of her classes. The first member of her family to attend college, Burns was unsure of whether she wanted to stay in Lawrence.
By Zack Hemenway
zhemenway@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
It's one of the first things freshmen hear from their Resident Assistants: everyone gets home-sick at some point
But Becky Burns didn't know it would come so soon.
Faces in the Crowd
On her second day at the University of Kansas, the Topeka freshman had enough of big classes and new faces. She called her mother and said she wanted to come home.
Her mother listened to Burns'
complaints and replied with a classic parental maneuver, reverse psychology.
reverse psychology "Pack your bags," she said. "If you want to give up, go ahead."
If Burns' mother knew exactly what to say to her daughter, it was because she'd had plenty of experience to draw from. Burns talks to her mother five times each day and goes home every week
and things.
"Talking to her always makes me feel better about whatever's bothering me," she said.
bothering me. Barnes also phones her older sister daily. This network of familial support could be because Burns is the self-proclaimed "baby of the family." But there's another reason for her family's concern.
Burns is the first member of her family to attend college. Barnes said the deferred dreams of her family members sometimes fell on her shoulders.
"It's kind of like I'm going to school for all of them," she said. "They tell me what they wanted to do, and they can do that through me."
Burns said that these sentiments usually had a positive influence on her and helped her stay focused on doing well to make her mother and sister happy. But being first can also lead to loneliness.
"I sometimes feel like if I screw up, they'll all say, 'see, I knew you couldn't do it, no one else could,'" she said.
Other than that second dav
Burns has deal with the pressure well. She's intimidated by two 1,000-student classes on her schedule but has adjusted to the change.
change.
Burns wants to continue a lifelong love of working with kids by teaching first or second grade. She spends 15-20 hours a week working at Burt Creek Morning Center, a local day-care. Burns helps toddlers with art and playtime, all the while "making sure they don't kill each other."
Burns hated the University at first, but is sticking with it. She's got four years, and countless phone calls to mom, to see how it turns out.
—Edited by Shane Mettlen
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