Last year, I decided I was going to leave. I was ready to leave my home, my parents, pets, sibling, family and friends behind. I wanted to know more than the town I grew up in. I knew that more was out there than what I've lived with for eighteen years of my life. Deciding that you're going to leave home is never easy, and I spent the first few weeks of college wondering, "Was this really the right decision?"

Going to a place where I knew almost no one, besides a few people I met in school, was honestly one of the best decisions I have ever made. Leaving behind old friends and old memories left room for new memories with new people. Moving to a new town in a new place gave me the opportunity to reestablish myself and become more outgoing than I was in high school. So far, I've already gotten involved with so many amazing opportunities, clubs and organizations. In high school, my options were really limited and so were my interests. College changes you. It has changed me for the better.

I've met so many wonderful new people. When I first moved here, I was surrounded with people who were truly friendly and wonderful, some of whom have helped me grow into a better person, inside and out.

I never knew what I've wanted to do. Coming from a town where there are five colleges, three of which are pretty big colleges in Indiana (Indiana State University, Rose Hulman, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods), I usually get asked, "Why did you come to a school two hours away?"

When asked that question, my reply is usually, "None of those colleges were for me. I came to this campus because I fell in love with it." I've come to love everything my college has to offer. All the activities and beautiful places around campus only are a fourth of what I love. I can't imagine where I would be if I hadn't chose this college. Would I be as outgoing as I am now? Who would I be friends with? I can't see myself without the friends I've made here, nor would I want to. I can't see myself without the opportunities I've had because I made the decision to leave everything behind.

Sometimes, finding a college that fits you is a lot better than going to a college you don't like. Try to let as little as possible hold you back from pursuing your dreams. I'm still finding out who I am and what I want to do. I do know, however, that I've finally found the place where I truly belong. I am so happy to call this place my home for the next three years. Leaving was truly the best decision of my entire life.