I remember my first cougar football game as a Washington State University student. I remember the hype and spirit that came with it. The moment I stood in the student section for the first time, I was struck with a lot of new emotions. For once, I was thinking about how blessed I am to be a Coug. And to know that my great grandparents and the other three generations of my family, had experienced the same emotions and spirit of my school at one point or another too was thrilling. It was exciting to know that something so special has been in my family for so long. To know that the halls I walk in are the same ones my ancestors did. To me, being a Coug is a lot more than just a four-year experience. My family has shown me that in fact, it is a lifestyle and a privilege.

If you are unfamiliar, Washington State University is in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Surrounding it are endless wheat fields. And if you’re lucky, in the winter, you can even find yourself in negative two-degree weather. Although some may think I am crazy for enjoying this kind of place, but I LOVE it. Because although I am freezing my toes off walking to class, I am always doing it with people I love and wouldn’t trade it for the world. Something you will never find anywhere else is the love Cougs have for one another. To know I am in a place where people are constantly eager to support and encourage me is more than assuring to know. The fact that WSU is in the first percentile as one of the happiest schools in the nation speaks for itself. I could have gone to UW If I wanted to, but I chose WSU. I am not sad in the slightest to know that I am not walking the halls of Harvard or Stanford. Because although those schools are great, I would never want to be anywhere else. Being a Coug for me is a privilege and an honor. One I never want to take for granted. People do not choose to live in the middle of nowhere and freeze to death all winter long for no reason. I chose WSU not only because I want to carry on the family tradition, but because being a Coug is a title I am proud to have and hold with lots of pride.

Ever since I was little, my family bled crimson. Everything my grandparents, aunts and uncles owned shined with WSU pride and spirit. And each year, the Apple Cup has meant more than a three-hour football game, it is a celebration of a lifestyle my family has passed down for decades. I have been shown that the first four years of being a Coug is only the beginning. As I submitted my application at the beginning of my senior year of high-school, I knew I was signing a contract to upholding a duty to be a “forever Coug.” I knew I would be signing my name into a permanent family. That although I would walk around Pullman for only four years, that it would be an obligation of mine to make sure my kids and grandkids know how amazing WSU really is and the impact it has made on me and my family. I know that I also made a promise to yell “Go Cougs!” at anyone who wore WSU gear, no matter what part of the world I was in or how big the crowd was and never would I allow myself to wear purple and gold at the same time ever again, convincing myself that crimson is a better color anyway. I aspire to bleed crimson and WSU spirit just like my family has for four generations—to carry on the tradition. I have learned that being a part of the WSU community is a commitment and a sacrifice I am willing to make.

So as I pack up my bags to leave for home after completing my first semester of school here at WSU, I am reminded of how much I have enjoyed every moment of being here. And as much as I love being home, Pullman, Washington really is my home now. The same place that my great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all got to call home, I finally do too. And let me tell you, there is no better feeling in the entire world.