I transferred schools my junior year of college. 2,000 miles away from home.

I know, I’m crazy. My poor parents, my poor transcript, my poor social life.

My freshman year of college I went to a school in-state about a 4 hours drive away from my parents. It was a good school, I knew people from high school, and I had started making new friends. Aside from a terrible roommate, everything was going okay. But I wanted something more.

I grew up in a small town in New Mexico and had always wanted to go to a school somewhere far, far away. But to be honest, college was expensive and I did not want to be the one to put my family in endless debt.

But then I heard about the National Student Exchange Program and realized I could go to a school of my choice for a semester and pay the price of in-state tuition. God was looking out for me.

So, me being me, signed up at the last possible minute and chose 3 different schools all over the U.S. I got reference letters from teachers and advisors all in one day and didn't even tell my parents this insane idea until I knew I was going.

I was matched up with a school about a month later- and then I was off to North Carolina for my sophomore year of college. My dad and I drove across the country with everything packed into my tiny car. Over the 3-day trip, I saw more of the U.S. than I had ever seen before. I had never even been to North Carolina before.

Just like that, I was the freshman-sophomore exchange transfer student freak that had no idea what I’d gotten myself into.

I had another random roommate, another new campus to explore, and a whole different environment to try and navigate.

It was terrifying.

What if I hated it? What if I needed my mom? What if I wanted to go home for the weekend and sleep in my bed? What if I made zero friends and had no life and ended up regretting everything I had ever done ever?

However, I soon found out that my roommate was nothing like my last, there was an amazing abundance of clubs and friends that I could never have even imagined, and a community that was diverse and so different from where I grew up.

I instantly fell in love. And that meant that I had to make a decision. I could either go back to the school that was close to home and cheap or try something completely crazy and transfer to a school thousands of miles away and start all over.

I always get asked why I decided to go to North Carolina. What made me choose ECU of all places? And the answer is that I have no idea. North Carolina was something new and exciting and something so far out of my comfort zone. It helped me think in different ways and figure out what I’m good at. It allowed me to *attempt* to be an adult at times and terrify me in some of the best and worst ways possible.

Going to a college where I knew no one and had no family around me was one of the scariest things I have ever done. It helped me develop a broader understanding of the world and even myself. I got to try new things and figure out what I truly wanted.

Sometimes, being the new kid (again) works out.