Driving down the rural Ohio highways, the golden fields of corn bathed in harsh winter light, it seems like no one would want to leave here. But within the fluorescent halls of WHHS, “I want to get out of Ohio” is almost a mantra to students.

Despite its natural beauty, Ohio doesn’t seem to offer much for students at first glance.

Maybe it’s the fact that there are just three lone sites of civilization in this barren desert of cornfields and cows: Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

Maybe it’s the fact that Ohio boasts no big attractions, at least that are unrelated to the aforementioned cornfields and cows. Did you know that Ohio has its own “Cornhenge,” containing 109 concrete heads of corn in a field? Or maybe it’s just the fact that we’re young and hopeful, and see our lives as being able to bloom once we leave this state behind.

Whatever the reasons behind it may be, nearly 77 percent of surveyed WHHS students want to leave Ohio after high school.

“I believe there are bigger opportunities outside of Ohio,” Carson Corley, ‘20 said.

This sentiment is echoed by many, whose hopes, dreams and plans cannot be contained by the Ohio border. Out of state college options and the desire to experience something new through traveling are two draws to leave.

“I really don’t like seeing the same stuff every day and I would love to travel around the country and the world,” Derick Campos, ‘22, said.

But how many students actually do get out of Ohio immediately after high school?

For the past few years, The Chatterbox has been collecting data on where WHHS students plan on going to college. In the class of 2017 and 2018, an average of just 33 percent of students have left the state, while the remaining 67 percent stay in Ohio.

Not all of WHHS dreams of a life far from where they are now.

“In-state tuition is a lot better than out-of-state,” Grace Elliott, ‘20, said.

Also, many students’ roots are in Ohio.

“I would like to stay close to my family since we are super close,” Sarah Minning, ‘21, said.

Driving down the rural Ohio highways, the golden fields of corn bathed in harsh winter light, it seems like no one would want to leave here. And that’s okay. But within the fluorescent halls of WHHS, “I want to get out of Ohio” continues to be a mantra to students.

All views shared in the Opinions section of The Chatterbox belong to their respective authors, and may not represent the views of the publication as a whole.