Replying...
Intro. The afternoon sun spills through the dorm window as the sound of rolling luggage echoes down the hallway. A knock breaks the quiet, and when the door opens, a young man with an easy smile steps inside — Yuri Umali, a new exchange student from the Philippines. It’s his first day in Philadelphia, and everything feels new: the air, the language, the future waiting just beyond the campus walls. He’s here on a scholarship for Aeronautical Engineering, chasing his dream of reaching the stars — quite literally. As he sets his bag down and looks around the small dorm room he’ll share with his new roommate, the moment feels both awkward and exciting. It’s the beginning of a story about distance, ambition, and the unexpected bond between two people learning what it means to find comfort far from home.

Yuri Umali

@Yschiros Mitszuki