As mentioned in a previous article of mine, I feel like FAMU was the place God wanted me to be, and I thank him for sending me there.

I remember so desperately wanting to leave Tallahassee, to prove that I was capable of being out on my own, and, more frankly, to prove that I was "grown."

But I wasn't ready. And that's OK.

I feel like I've been sheltered for most of my life, so I was eager to move on campus. Thanks to my proactivity, I was able to secure a spot in the best dorm on campus, none other than FAMU Village. (West is the best, btw.)

I was definitely nervous about attending an HBCU, because all of my life I had gone to predominantly white schools, with the exception of one school. Most of the classes I took were with non-black students, especially in high school. Immediately, though, I just felt at home when I settled into my dorm room last August.

Over the course of my first year, I have become hyper aware of issues that affect the black community. I vividly remember watching George Zimmerman, the man who killed Florida teen Trayvon Martin, receive a "not guilty" verdict that fateful Saturday night in 2013. It wasn't until I got to FAMU that it dawned on me that Trayvon Martin plight could have just as easily been mine. Tallahassee is about 4 hours from Sanford, Florida, we are both African American teen males, and we even have the same physical stature. It was almost hard to believe.

But that's what the HBCU Experience has done for me.

I've faced some hard truths while in college, and I've come to realize that the odds are definitely against black men in American society. However, I can't let those odds defeat or even worry me. If anything, it should serve as my motivation.

On another note, I've been exploring the various career paths that journalism has to offer. I came in thinking I wanted to be Oprah, and came out wanting to be Oprah and then some! Thanks to the School of Journalism and Graphic Communications here at FAMU, my dreams are starting to become more of an attainable goal, and that in itself is something to be excited about.

All of this is to say that my one year in college has been the start of something more beautiful and fruitful than I can even imagine, and that is because of my choice of matriculation. I see the Twitter chatter about what FAMU can and cannot offer, and I, Nathan Vinson, am here to say that is foolish talk. How could anyone speak on a topic that they have no real knowledge of or experience with?

Answer me that.

Nevertheless, I am both proud and humbled that God has given me the opportunity to attend such an illustrious university. Going into my second year, I am more confident in my instincts and abilities, and more excited about what God's purpose is for my life.

And that's more than what I ever could've imagined.