The place Sri Raman misses most from his days at the UI is a biggie.
As in 42,014 people big.
“My favorite memories of campus life didn’t focus so much a specific place, but rather a town — Urbana," says Raman (BS '93, biology), who spent eight years working behind the scenes at ESPN before landing an associate producer job at the Big Ten Network.
“I literally lived in Urbana — not Champaign — my entire time at the University of Illinois. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the heart of Campustown. It could be energizing during the week and festive — to say the least — on weekends.
"But there were many times I just needed a respite from that — and from all that reminded me of the rigors of papers and exams.
“I did almost everything in Urbana — shopping, banking, dining. Many of my friends lived in Urbana, including family friends who generously fed me home-cooked South Indian meals.
“And the apartment I lived in for almost four years in Urbana were an intrinsic part of the best years of my life.
“Looking forward to my next visit. I'm curious to see all the changes since I left.”
