Moving from New York to start a new year in Melissa and coming from a big city to a new time zone, new climate, and a smaller town wasn’t easy for freshman Ashley Swezey.

It was a slow process for her and her family to travel. Her family moved here by plane, and it was quite hard to make sure they packed everything as there were weight limits on suitcases, making it even harder for them to transport all their belongings.

“What I like most about Melissa High School is that all the students are nice to me. Lots of people were very welcoming to me,” Swezey said. “I moved here to be closer to more of my family. But I still miss a lot of my family that stayed in New York because now I won’t see them as often. I’m also glad I moved here so I could make new friends though.”

In New York, during rush hour, walking was often faster to get places than driving a car or riding in a taxi. Ashley really enjoyed going on road trips with family.

“What I miss most about New York is going on lots of road trips in New York City,” Swezey said.

New York is most famous for its classic on-the-go pizza, as most people know, and in New York, Ashley said she had eight Italian restaurants right by her house.

“My favorite food from New York is definitely the pizza,” Swezey said. “The pizza in Texas, like Pizza Hut…is nothing compared to the pizza in New York!”

When asked what her favorite food in Texas was, Ashley said she really liked burgers and steaks, even though she will miss New York’s pizza.

“My favorite food from Texas would probably be hamburgers or steak!” Swezey said. “They are pretty good!”

When asked if she preferred sour or sweet candy, Ashley said she liked sour.

“My favorite sour candy is Toxic Waste, which is like a Warhead candy but even more sour!” she said. “They’re so good.”

Usually, having three pets is considered a lot for most families, but Swezey has eight plus pets.

“I have lots of pets!” she said. “I have three cats, two rats, one hamster, lots of fish..I can’t even count how many we have, and I also have turtles.”

Christmas is the most favorite national holiday and also tops Ashley’s list.

“My favorite holiday is Christmas because I get a chance to take a break from school,” Swezey said.

Winters in Texas are also not as cold as in New York; Texas is known as one of the warmer states.

“What I like about Texas is that the weather is a lot better–it’s way warmer,” Swezey said. “In New York it was way colder, our winters were a lot worse then how they are here.”