Growing up in the little town of Bellbrook, Ohio has proven to be a blessing in disguise.

Not only did I experience small town love but I also experienced everything most people would call a cliché. I learned the value of belonging to a community, that slowing down isn't something you take for granted, that you always have a strong support system to fall back on, and most importantly, you learn how to appreciate the simple things in life.

Living in a small town gives you a sense of reality and what it's like to live a humble lifestyle.

It allows you to focus on things that make you want to work hard and make something out of yourself. When visiting multiple colleges and struggling at first on where I would now call my new home, I took the small things that I craved about my hometown into consideration.

My little hometown was surrounded by cornfields in every direction, the familiar smell of cow manure, and the noise of the up and coming shopping center being put in down the street. Every Friday night was dedicated to our football team, the students of Bellbrook High School announced a different theme for every game, using the popular social media site, Twitter.

The whole community came to support our team, who was not very consistent. Church on Sunday morning was not only a place to worship God, but a place to catch up with friends, and family. It’s the place that made me who I am today, my roots that kept me grounded, and the small-town values that showed me how much people genuinely care. I searched for this deep love at all of the colleges I visited. Once I sat down to ponder my options I finally realized, country roads had brought me home.

The rolling hills of West Virginia, Woodburn Hall, and the Mountaineer pride was enough to make me fall in love with this University. I was surrounded by the colors blue and gold, and the famous flying WV everywhere.

The opportunities were endless at this University, I had made the WVU Competition Cheerleading team, an opportunity I never thought I could accomplish. To be a part of something so prideful and powerful overwhelms you with emotions.

After being accepted into this University and making the cheerleading team, I realized one thing: I could do this, and I had done this. I was no longer living the glorious high school days, I was now caught up with the realms of college life: professors, dining halls, and independence.

My weekdays and weekends were now spent going to class, studying and running to and from practice.

Throughout my journey to find a college that was not just right, but perfect for me, was challenging, yet I stayed hopeful and referred to a song’s lyrics when I ever doubted where I was headed. Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw had many hidden messages that I picked up along my journey.

“Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie I know you got mountains to climb but always stay humble and kind.”

The easy lesson that came with this song was the obvious message of not stealing, cheating, or lying but the deeper message of climbing mountains, touched me, I am actually climbing mountains, I am actually going somewhere uphill in life. I felt the pride, I felt humble, and I felt kind, things I had searched and searched hard for.

“When you get where you’re going don’t forget turn back around.”

These lyrics hit home. Once I finally got to where I was supposed to be, WVU, I turned back around and I realized all of the people, places, and things that helped get me to where I am today.

John Denver once sang, “Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong, West Virginia…” this song became this Universities anthem and my own. Morgantown gathers together cohesively as one to show their pride and love for this town, something I was searching for on my journey to find a college that was right for me.

The constant movement of students walking to and from class, the taste of pepperoni rolls, and the forgivable pain you get in your legs as you walk up steep mountains; this is what made us WVU students. In a University of 30,000 students, I realized I had a place here.