I always said I would never go to a small school. I wouldn't want to be somewhere where everybody knows everybody and to have to see my professors at the local restaurants. I always thought I would end up at MIT or South Carolina. Somewhere with a football team, where I could spend my Saturdays tailgating and making the best memories possible. Boy, did that all change.

Five years ago, I took a tour of North Georgia College and State University (now called University of North Georgia) with my older brother who had been attending the school at the time. The minute we drove through town, I fell in love. It was fall, and if you have ever been to North Georgia you understand why. There were so many colors as far as the eye could see and the winding roads up the mountain made everything seem like a fairy tale. I knew this would be my home.

I have spent the past three years spending my days hiking up the Appalachian Trail with my friends, studying countless hours in Starbucks, and walking around campus aimlessly not knowing where life would take me. I spent my days going to Chick-fil-A and talking to Mr. Jim, who was always willing to pray for any exams that I had or just wanted to catch up on life, or I went to Paul Thomas Chocolates to buy a gift for my mother every time I went home and would tell the owner about all the latest school gossip. The school did not have a football team, a three-story gym with two Olympic size pools, or anything else a larger school would entail, but what we do here makes up for it.

Dahlonega has family. It has that warm feeling of coming home. During the fall, it has Gold Rush, where everyone -- from alumni to current students -- enjoys walking around for two days and seeing people you haven't seen since your freshman year. Once November hits, you see the Christmas lights in the square light up the night and you can feel the snow (or ice, in our case) coming to town. After the three weeks away from your roommates, you come back to everyone embracing each other and telling stories about how their break went. When Spring comes around, we get ready for Bear on the Square. No one is really sure why we have this festival, but everyone gets excited for it, anyway. No matter what is going on in this little mountain town, everyone knows about it. With the 6,000 plus people that live in this town, we all know we have someone to go to no matter how big or small the problem is. This is why I am so sad to leave this little town.

Due to my major, I will have to go to the Gainesville campus of UNG. Granted, it isn't that far from Dahlonega but I will no longer live near the town I now call home. I will start to become an adult that has to live her life without hiking up the mountain every day or without seeing my best friend in between our classes. I won't be able to run up to my significant other and ask for prayers right before an exam or to just have Jesus filled talks with my church friends randomly when we're staying up past midnight studying for finals. But what I will be able to do is thank the town that made me realize who I am. This town helped me through the hardest struggles, brought me closer to Jesus, and most importantly, brought me closer to myself. So Dahlonega, this is for you. I may be leaving this town, but just know you will never leave me. Your beautiful soul will always remain in my heart and I know when I need to, I can return and you will welcome me back with open arms. You will never know how much you mean to me, D-Town. Thank you for everything.