Here I am, sitting at my kitchen table in my home in Colorado.

Being home is such a specific feeling to me. I currently live in downtown San Francisco and go to the Academy of Art University where I live the freakin' dream. I’ve noticed that when you meet someone new, one of the first things you ask each other is, “So where are you from?” Being away from my home, I’ve realized where you’re from is such a huge part of who you are. It’s a cool feeling to say, “I’m from Colorado”, and then people ask about Colorado, ask about your home, your family and it makes the appreciation for home that much stronger.

High school for me was not the best time in my life, and getting away from my hometown was a must. Leaving was the best thing I could have done. I got away from the silly high school memories, typical cliques and depressing feelings that every high schooler must go through. It was extremely important for me to get away and discover new things and find myself while doing the things I love, and I think it’s incredibly important for anyone. The years after high school are the most important years in a young adult's life. It’s the time where you truly start to find yourself and discover what’s important. I'm a photography major at the Academy of Art, on the women's soccer team and I'm doing absolutely everything I could possibly want to be doing at this time in my life. Basically, I'm blessed as can be, but home to me is the single most important thing in life. I believe that your family and where you’re from are the two core things you will always have and should always hold the closest to your heart. I'm beyond blessed to have grown up with parents and a sister that love me dearly and want me to be happy and successful. As I get older and as the college years go by, I realize more and more how much I need my family and need my home. It's such an interesting feeling. I went away because now I have something to come back to and something to appreciate more and more every time I get on that plane back to Colorado. It makes coming home for holidays and summers so exciting and essential.

So anyway, after all this blabbering, I'm really trying to convey two things. One, once you’re out of high school go somewhere new, figure out your passions and pursue them. Two, your family and where you’re from are such a huge part of you so never, ever, stop cherishing them.