The excitement as I packed up boxes full of clothes and the much-needed dorm “necessities”. The careful packing of the car to make sure that all the boxes and bags fit seamlessly into the car. The nervousness as I moved 4 and a half hours away from everything I knew. The stories I heard about college played over and over again in my head. The plans I had made for the rest of my life were mapped out to guide me through the next 4 years. The memories I wished to create were just dreams that danced through my head as I spent the night in my first college dorm room. The desire to make friends and find a place where I belonged was something I wanted more than anything. The yearning to travel and go on adventures. The need to be exactly who I want to become. The beginning of a new chapter of my life in a new town in a new state. All of these things are what my freshmen year self-wanted and needed when I decided to take the adventure of attending school out of state.

Now, I’m finishing my sophomore year of college this week and it’s safe to say that I’m so happy that I took the adventure of moving out of state for school! My life would have been so different if I would have stayed at home and attended college because I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I have had here! I also wouldn’t have met some of the most inspiring people that I’m proud to call my best friends. This wild adventure isn’t always fun-filled but I’m always learning things in and out of the classroom every day. College life has given me and taught me these important things:

1. Make lifelong friends.

I have met some of my best friends in college and I don’t know what I would do without them. The women that I’m proud to call my best friends encourage me to chase my dreams and are always there for me no matter what time of day it is or what the situation is. I found people who will stay up with me while I’m sitting on a couch at 2 am on a Tuesday while crying over some dumb thing. I found the people who understand that I NEED to get wedges at 10 pm on a Sunday night. I wouldn’t have found my lifelong friends if I wouldn’t have moved here for college because I met all of these wonderful women when I joined Greek Life during my first semester of freshman year. Nothing can always be fun and there are so down times, but we get through it together! Thank all of you for everything you do for me!

2. Travel!

College has given me the opportunity to travel and has given me the courage to take adventures on my own. I traveled out of the country for the first time in my entire life this year and it was one of the coolest things I have done. For spring break, I flew for the first time because I wanted to go on an adventure. I flew to Florida and I flew by myself, which was also another adventure. Before college, I didn’t have the courage to travel by myself let alone travel out of the country, even though I wanted to for so long. My traveling adventures planned for this summer are going to take me to my favorite cities and I can’t wait!

3. It’s okay to ask for help.

I have always had a hard time asking for help for anything in my life because I think I can do it all by myself. My freshmen year I learned that I can’t do everything and that I need to ask for help if I need it. It’s hard to ask for help for me, but I do when I need help.

4. Having fun is okay!

I’m a serious person and before college, I didn’t like to have fun at all. I would say no to most plans and adventures because I didn’t think having a lot of fun was the best option for me. I put a lot of stress on myself to be the best without ever giving myself the opportunity to have fun. College has definitely taught me how to balance being the best I can be while having fun. I have learned to say yes to adventures to the grocery store at 12 am on a Tuesday night. I have learned to say yes to going to get wedges at 11:30 pm on a Sunday night when I have a class at 8 am on Monday. College has let me learn how to fully balance being a serious person while managing to have fun.

5. Grades don’t define you.

Before college, I would have a meltdown over getting a B+ on any assignment, let along earning a B+ as a final grade. If I earned anything less than an A, on any assignment, I would feel like a failure and would cry for hours. Now, I have learned that my grades don’t define who I am as I’m learning as much outside the classroom and I am inside the classroom. I still strive to earn all A’s but if I earn a B+ I don’t have a meltdown anymore. Sometimes no matter how hard you study, the material just doesn’t click for you and that’s okay. Not everyone is meant to be scientists and astronomers. College hasn’t changed my work ethic or my dedication to my academics, but my mindset when I earn a B+. All that matters is that I give each class my best effort and that I’m continuously learning each day.

6. Home is where you make it!

I always say that “home home” is Adamsville, but my home is here. Growing up, I never really fit in and I have always wanted to move away since I was six years old. In the first grade, I was already looking at colleges hours away because I wanted to move away. My “home home” may be the perfect fit for some people but not for me. I love my “home home” for everything it has given me, but I never belonged there. I always wanted to be somewhere that was fast-paced or very close to a fast-paced city. College has given me my home. I feel like I completely belong here and that I’m becoming exactly who I’m meant to be. I finally have the opportunities to live and learn and to live my dreams.

My life has certainly changed for the better since I came to college. I’m not saying that my adventure so far hasn’t had its fair share of bumps because it has. During the last two years, I have learned how to be confident in myself which is something that I wasn’t when I was back home and the confidence has taken me so far. Moving away from “home home” to attend a university four and a half hours away was the best decision that I have ever made. I’m now living my best life.