"I can't wait to graduate and get out of this town."

I heard those words from so many of my high school peers as our next stage of life was soon approaching. I, however, was never one to say that. I had entertained the idea of going away for college to start fresh in a new city with new faces. And I probably could have done it and been just as successful, but I chose not to. After high school, I went to a university in the city I've lived in for 15 years. At first, when people would ask me, "So where did you decide to go to college?" I would hesitate and feel almost ashamed to say I was staying in town. But after a while, I had to stop and ask myself: "What are you ashamed of?" An education is still an education, no matter if it's 500 miles away or 5 miles down the road. As my first semester began, I realized that it doesn't take a new city or unfamiliar territory to have a fresh slate after high school, it's all in the choices you make in the situation you're placed in. I've been at my university for almost two years now and I'd argue that it's been just as great of an experience than going off to college somewhere else.

Going to a university that required me to stay on campus my first year (despite living a mere 15 minutes away) allowed me to experience those same first-year college struggles and memories. It taught me the same hard lessons of being independent and (somewhat) self-sufficient. It taught me that you don't have to move across the country to meet new people from all walks of life. It taught me that having roommates can be both an evasion of privacy at times but also the biggest blessing. It taught me to have pride in not only my university, but in my city's community, both on and off campus. I love the city I am in, and because of my university, I have even a greater appreciation for this place I call home.