College is in a season of life that is filled with so many new experiences. It's filled with nights of studying at the library, tequila shots, laughing so hard you cry, and crying so hard because you think the world has been ended by a bad test grade or stupid boy. In the midst of the tears and smiles, moments hit more often than not that you miss home. Home carries a simple definition for me: it contains a group of people who make up the village that raised me, but at its simplest form, it is the two people to whom I owe it all: my mother and father.

In the days following Father's Day, it has been reaffirmed just how important my Dad is to me. As a girl, I believe there are certain experiences in life when you realize your Dad is truly your hero, and I think it takes years and life kicking the wind out of you to come to that realization.

My Dad is a pretty simple guy — he believes in hard work and family. Looking back on my life, there are so many moments that stand out of why he's my #1 guy, but one, in particular, gets me every time.

My parents drove me 13 hours away and moved me into a dorm at the University of Alabama. I was surprised that they had agreed to let me go so far away because I was the baby and my Dad was as overprotective as they get. I lived in Michigan for 18 years of my life, and I can count on one hand how many times I've driven in the snow because he didn't think it was safe. He didn't like me driving at night or going to the store alone. No matter how many years I added, I've always remained his little girl.

The day they dropped me off, he sat in my dorm room and hand-sorted my jewelry and hung them perfectly on the stands, he made sure I had everything I needed, and with a tear in his eye, he hugged me goodbye and told me he loved me and to be safe. In the language of Mike Galloway, be safe means I love you so so so much and I'd hurt anyone that hurts you. "Be safe" is basically the best thing my Dad can say to you, so if you get that out of him, you're pretty lucky. It was when my Dad walked out of my dorm and got into the car that I realized he really was my hero.

Shout out to the man that has had my back since birth. You're one of the greats.