Although many people might think the exact opposite, moving to upstate New York from sunny California opened up a world of opportunity for one local resident.
Rachel (Mason) Ballin moved to Norwich when she was in third grade. Ballin’s mother had family in the area and decided to bring her two daughters to Norwich to raise them.
“Norwich is so different from where we lived before. We lived near Sacramento, and I could not even ride my bike,” said Ballin. “Here, as kids, our street was a dead end so we could ride right in the road and not have a care in the world.”
Growing up, Ballin explained she was grateful she came to New York, and as time passed, she realized how truly different her new home was from the previous one. She explained she would still travel west to see her father in the summer, and the older she got, the more she knew how lucky she was to live in the safety net that Norwich represented to her.
Growing up on Waite Street, Ballin met the man who recently became her husband. “We grew up together. He lived down the street and was my best friend,” she said. “He was the type of guy you could tell anything to, and he would visit my mom in the summer when I was gone to make sure she was OK.”
Ballin graduated from Norwich High School in 2005. While attending school, she worked at Guernsey Memorial Library, and the summer following graduation, she was offered the chance to take over as the children’s programming director. “Working at the library is where I realized I wanted to work with children,” said Ballin. During the summer, she helped with the playground group at the library, designed and operated by the local Youth Bureau.
She explained she coordinated various activities, and said she believes because of her efforts, more children were drawn to the library to take part in activities.
The fall after she graduated high school, Ballin started taking classes at the local Morrisville State College campus. She spent a year taking courses at Morrisville, but transferred to Cobleskill for a semester to focus her courses in early childhood education.
Ballin explained at the time she transferred, Morrisville was in the process of gaining a degree program which would suit her. Ballin said it was interesting how it worked out. “Right after I signed up for classes at Cobleskill, Morrisville signed on to offer the degree I wanted,” she said.
Ballin said it made a lot more since to get her degree locally and transferred back to the Norwich campus to finish her two-year degree. In May, Ballin became the first graduate of the Early Childhood A.A.S. program offered in Norwich. Ballin explained graduating on time was her aspiration, and although it was hard, she was determined not to go another semester. “I took 22 credits that semester and worked 30 hours a week,” she said. “I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone.”
Just three months after graduating, Ballin and her high school sweetheart were married. “We know we are young, but we knew what we wanted. It is what we have always wanted, so why wait?” she said.
Also within the past summer, Ballin took her degree and began applying it to her work. During her on-the-job training hours for school, she worked at the Children’s Center, and this, she said, is where she found her calling. Ballin works within the community at The Children’s Center in the two year old room.
Ballin said she wants to someday further her education and eventually get a master’s degree. Owning her own daycare center or at least directing one is her goal. Still not sure what the future holds, she said she is looking at many options to decide where her future may lead her.

Editor’s Note: “Chenango Stories” puts the spotlight on those people whose compelling stories you might not otherwise hear. If you know someone who is interested in telling their “Chenango Story,” contact Jill Osterhout at 337-3075 or e-mail: josterhout@evesun.com.