By Guy Ovadia

Savana Heaps-Ricciuti, 22, is a nursing student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science. She has lived in Mission Hill for two years.

“It’s nice to have an apartment,” said Heaps-Ricciuti. “One, they are cheaper in the long run. And two, you’re able to develop more independence by having your own apartment, which is really awesome.”

When she isn’t studying, Heaps-Ricciuti volunteers for a local organization called Fresh Truck, “an on-the-go market” that sells fresh fruits and vegetables.

Heaps-Ricciuti said the neighborhood has changed a lot over the past two years. She specifically noted the development of luxury condos, which Heaps-Ricciuti said are making the Hill more crowded and expensive.

“When I started living here they didn’t have any of these new apartments on Tremont and literally built these in what I felt was overnight,” said Heaps-Ricciuti. “They are huge, and they are really nice inside too.”

When recalling her best memory of Mission Hill, Heaps-Ricciuti said, “Oh God, so this is probably illegal. I moved in September so it was still warm and me and my new roommates were walking up the street back to our apartment and we found this paint on the side of the road. So we just started painting on the sidewalk. If you go up Tremont street there are smiley faces and I think I wrote ‘be happy’ on there.”

About this project 

The Scope’s student journalists spoke with community members in Mission Hill. #MissionHill100 is a collection of their stories.