Growing up, I always knew I wanted to go to the University of Wisconsin. When I was accepted this past December, to say that I was ecstatic is an understatement. I couldn't be happier that all of my fond memories of State Street and Badger Football would soon be part of my regular life.

I've lived in a suburb of Seattle my whole life. I grew up in a wonderful place, with plenty of things to do and well-funded schools. Despite this, I always thought something was missing. I am a person who is excited by the unknown and unfamiliar, and I realized I was bored with Seattle.

I needed a change so that one day I could come back home, and appreciate my city with a new perspective in mind.

Going to college far away is exciting, but difficult in its own way. The first bump in the road I hit was trying to figure out where to order all of my dorm stuff to! Luckily, my grandparents who live in Milwaukee offered to store my mountain of shipments in their spare room until move-in. This is a small example on a long list of reasons why it is necessary to have some sort of family or friends nearby — things at school will get overwhelming, and having people to go "home" to temporarily is essential.

I am the only person from my graduating class to attend UW-Madison this fall. That being said, it is freeing and terrifying to know no one in a new place. This is where I owe my gratitude to the UW Class of 2022 Facebook page — I met so many new people through it that when I got to SOAR, I had a whole group of friends waiting to meet me (including my lovely roommate). Even though this was the first time I had met my new friends, I felt like I had known many of them for a long time because of how often we communicated before orientation. The connections I made those few days are unbeatable, and I know that I would not have jumped in as much as I did if I had a person from home to rely on.

The hardest part about going out of state is leaving home for real. Although I have a few weeks left before move-in, there have been times this summer when I got overwhelmed with the fact that this may be the last time I do a lot of my favorite things in the places I love, with the people I know best. Leaving familiarity is a challenge for everyone, no matter how bad you may want change.

Knowing I am about to make so many new friends and memories are what drives me past the heartbreaking aspect of going away.

To all of my friends from home and all of the places in Seattle, I will always love: I promise I won't forget you, and I will be home soon. To Madison and all of the new people and experiences that await me: I couldn't be more ready.