1. ​Jacksonville State is my home away from home.

Coming from a part of small-town Remlap called Pine Mountain, located in Blount County, approximately right in between Oneonta to the north and Pinson to the south, I had a good sense of what home was. To me, home was a community of individuals who had common interests and we're all striving for a goal.

On the mountain, that goal was to provide a safe environment for people to build and grow a family. With the addition of a high school for Southeastern in 2015 (which was the first year seniors graduated from there), the Remlap/Pine Mountain area has seen a boom in housing, making it more important than ever to keep that goal of building and growing a family in mind.

When I came to Jacksonville State last fall, after spending two years at home and traveling to Snead State Community College in Boaz, I felt that sense of community. As students, we are all working toward a common goal: getting our degree so that we can build a successful future for ourselves and our families.

Each of us has some common interests, and when situations arise, like the March 19th tornado, we come together, and we bounce back stronger than ever, much like my home on Pine Mountain back on April 28, 2014, when a tornado took out our back porch and a few of our buildings. Our community came together then and helped us rebuild much of that. I am forever grateful for the impact and feeling of home Jacksonville State has in my life!

2. Jacksonville State is a place where I have learned more about myself.

When I came to Jacksonville State, I thought I knew myself very well, but I have never been more wrong in my life. I have always thought of myself as this athletic but nerdy, person who didn't just hang out with one specific group in high school, but rather all the groups. I still know I am that type of person, but I also have learned a great deal about myself that I feel like I would have never learned without this experience.

I have learned that I have a strong support system in my small group through Engage (more on that later), and despite going through some very tough times last fall, I am much stronger because of those times, as well as through the encouragement of my small group. I have learned that I am always open to meeting new people, developing friendships with all people, regardless of their background.

I am continuing to learn daily that, though I struggle with it sometimes, I am becoming a more patient person. These are a few of the things I have learned about myself in my time at Jacksonville State. I fully believe that going to a college or university, or just getting out on your own in general, away from the umbrella of your family, is when you truly learn the most about yourself.

3. Jacksonville State is the place where I am furthering my education.

While Jacksonville State has been a place where I have learned many things about myself, it is also the place where I have chosen to further my education. Though I got my basics out of the way at Snead State, I eventually chose Jacksonville State because I fell in love with the campus from the minute I set foot on it that first time. I had opportunities to go elsewhere, such as Alabama, Auburn, UAB, even Mississippi State (which is where I would have gone if I had stuck with my original plan to go into meteorology), but something kept pulling me to JSU.

While some of my classes have been a struggle at times (especially some of my math classes now), I have overall learned valuable concepts and strategies that will help me when I begin teaching math one day. This has been a place where I have been able to truly apply myself, and I have also been able to challenge myself through some of my math classes, especially this semester with Linear Algebra and Differential Equations.

Jacksonville State is a great place to further your education because it is big enough to get to build connections and friendships, but small enough that your teachers know you by name and are truly invested in your education.

4. Jacksonville State is a place where I have grown physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Jacksonville State has been a place where I have not only learned many things about myself, but also where I have taken those things and allowed myself to grow physically, emotionally, and most importantly to me, spiritually. Growing up in rural Blount County, I attended (and still attend, when I am home) Pine Mountain Community Church. I learned a great deal about myself spiritually there and really came to a realization that, even though I was saved at a young age, I truly needed to a better job of living out a life that would be pleasing to God.

With the help of youth leader Shane Williams, my faith was truly strengthened from middle school to high school and throughout my college years. That is why it was super important for me to find a church to plug into and continue to grow spiritually. I have been going to First Baptist in Jacksonville since the first Sunday I was in town, and I have definitely grown in my spiritual life.

First Baptist has a college ministry on Monday nights called Engage, and through Engage, I have learned a great deal about how God wants me to deal with my anxiety, as well as how to truly walk through life as a Christian, primarily from the book of James. The college pastor, Jesse Stewart, has definitely had a huge role in developing my life spiritually through his sermons each week at Engage.

Also, through Engage, I have connected with a great group of guys in my small group who have become like brothers (pictured above). We have laughed together, cried together, broken bread together, and built each other up. Each of these guys in my small group has also helped me grow spiritually, and while growing spiritually, this experience has helped me grow emotionally. When things get tough, I am learning to power through it and smile, because it is a part of a greater purpose for my life.

While growing spiritually and emotionally, I have also grown physically. I haven't grown much in height since high school (I'm only 5'7" on a good day), but I have gained some weight. Gaining weight has always been a bit of a struggle for me, even though my family would say that I eat like an offensive lineman. While gaining this weight, I am able to maintain a healthy weight through eating right and exercising.

I usually walk everywhere close in town, and I also try to go running down the beautiful Ladiga Trail as much as possible. Not only that but also utilizing the workout area in Stephenson Hall has been a huge asset to maintaining a healthy weight while growing and getting stronger.

These are a few of the many things that make Jacksonville State more than just a college. Each of these make Jacksonville State a special place in my life.