Small Town Boy Meets Big City

By, Lesli White

RICHMOND, VA- At age seven, Christopher Westfall remembers stepping on his creaking ranch porch and looking at the far stretch of dairy farms and blowing green grass.

At 14, Westfall remembers his 30-mile round trip commute to the local town high school, a trek he would make for four years.At 18, Westfall remembers receiving his acceptance letter from VCU and, while excited, was unsure of the road ahead of him.

“One night, I’m in complete quiet. I can sit outside and literally hear the birds chirping and the frogs in the ponds,” said Westfall. “The next, I’m living in Cabaniss Hall on the MCV campus and its helicopters, ambulances, honking horns and city lights.”

For Westfall, VCU was a major transition from small town living. He was born in Alleghany County, Va but before he could even remember was traveling to Lewisburg, West Virginia, a town with a population of about 3500. He explained his first weeks at VCU being like a “double edged sword.”

“I like experiencing new things but it was the first time I had to adjust to such a different setting,” said Westfall.

One may wonder why a small-town kid would want to move to an urban setting. Westfall responds that he wanted change in an academic setting with a strong mass communications program. He is currently majoring in mass communications with a concentration in print journalism because he has always been interested in current events.

“When I was young, sometimes I would just get bored with cartoons and watch headline news,” said Westfall. “I’m just addicted to information.”

While the decision to attend VCU wasn’t hard, the year before was one of his roughest. The December before Westfall graduated from high school, his grandfather passed away. Westfall lived with his grandparents since kindergarten. While he didn’t understand the details of the divorce at the time, his grandparents made life easier.

“Grandpa was my super hero,” said Westfall. “He was a rock-slider and a cancer survivor. When he passed, it was like he had finally been beaten.”

While his grandfather’s death was tough, Westfall stayed focused and even found joy in between. For example, his appreciation for music erupted. Flipping through his playlist, you can find anything from Alternative to Indie, Classical Tchaikovsky to the Folkie Woodie Guthrie. 

“You always think you’re into music until you meet someone who is really into music,” said Westfall.

His interest in music led to more emotional attachments. While hanging out at Plan9, a 25-year-old record store in Carytown, Westfall met Samantha Merz, who would later become his girlfriend.

“One word to describe Chris would have to be dedicated,” said Merz. “Whether it's school, work, friends, family, or anything small or large, he puts his whole heart into it. To be honest, he's a little bit of my hero. I want to be like him when it comes to his unwavering dedication.”

Westfall loves his VCU professors. He says that he is optimistic about this semester because most of his journalism professors have real-world experience.

If he could look into a crystal ball and see his future, he would hope the ball would reveal a career with either BBC or National Geographic.

“BBC has a really high standard when it comes to news,” said Westfall. “When it comes to National Geographic, I’ve always been fascinated with animals, but I’ve also been fascinated by what it takes to photograph and put those pieces together.