With move-in being this week, I am feeling about one hundred different emotions. It's the first time I'm away from home, my family and what I am used to. It's exciting yet nerve-wracking. I am happy, yet upset and to be honest it will probably take me a month to get used to the feeling.

I have always been around my family. My mother is a single mom and for years I have been her right hand. So when the time came around in which I needed to make a decision for me, I second guess it. I always take my family into consideration and I never am the type of person to really put myself first. I put others needs and wants above my own and yes, I know that's bad! I just love the feeling of helping out others even if I am putting what I want or need on hold. Which is something I did when it came to college.

I knew since I was in middle school that after graduating high school, I wanted to go to school out of state. I always told myself that I would move as far away from home as possible but as I started growing up my mentality changed and so did my interests. I wanted to go to school as close to home as possible but I wanted to be able to find a school in which I knew the moment I would step it that it would be home. Thankfully, I found the right one. Illinois State has offered me so many great opportunities and the moment I stepped into that quad, I knew it was where I wanted to be! Even better, it wasn't so far away from home so I could go back and visit whenever I felt like it.

I actually decided to stay local during my first year of college for multiple reasons. Things didn't exactly work out how I wanted them to, my family wasn't entirely on board with letting me go, and maybe I never said this, but I don't think I was emotionally prepared for it either. So I took a year to really refocus on what I wanted for myself, prepared myself for when I actually was ready to leave, and work as much as possible to make it happen. I am a pretty determined person so whenever I set myself to do something, I do what I can to make it happen.

My family and I were in a better place this year, emotionally I was ready to finally do something for myself and not feel bad. It has always been so important to me to have my moms support so when I told her that this was the year I was going away to college and I had her support, I just knew I was making the right decision to go after what I really wanted. I was able to apply and get admitted to Illinois State as a Special Education major. As much as I am missing home right now, I know that it will get better with time.

Now, I know that this a brand new chapter I am starting and its up to me how the rest is written. I am excited to continue my education at a place I feel at home, meet new people with the same interests as me, and have fun! New experiences are always unforgettable and as much as I was nervous for this drastic change, I know that a new door just opened with a hundred different opportunities and I am ready to show everyone what I am capable of.