I’ve lived in Carlisle for all my life and it’s served as a great place to grow for my non-native family. I went to Bellaire Elementary, Wilson Middle School, and am now in 11th grade at Carlisle High School.

I love Carlisle’s ideological and ethnic diversity in the face of a more homogeneous county. The different experiences, backgrounds, and opinions of Carlisle help make it a fantastic place to grow up and be raised. Diversity through a variety of aspects is something that is very important to me.

Growing up, I suffered culture shock once I entered public schooling because up until then, I’d been raised primarily in Bosnian culture. This meant that I experienced a lot of social awkwardness in relation to integrating into cultural norms and often times felt ostracized. But, I overcame that thanks to the tolerant and accepting nature of the people in Carlisle, especially my peers. I am extremely grateful to the people of Carlisle because of this.

I hope for Carlisle to utilize its various resources and the people within to provide better support for political and social issues. I hope this inspires the townspeople to create a prosperous perpetuating cycle of hope and activism. – Salko Hrnjic, Senior at Carlisle High School