As most people in college are asked, I'm always asked the question of where I am from. When I explain to people where I live they always seem to assume that I naturally did not experience the same things as people who live in the city. From someone who is from a small town, let me be the first to tell you, there are many perks of being from a small town, and I have probably experienced a lot more than you think!

While yes my hometown has barely over 2,000 people, it's still home for me. While I am enjoying the experience of living in a city, I will never forget where I'm from and what it has taught me.

I have seen an entire community come together for a cause. While people are fighting their battles with sickness, getting married, celebrating births, or really anything else, there are always people around to support each other and encourage each other. There are people who are constantly reaching out to you and wanting you to know you are never alone. That's something that is also very intriguing; no matter how small the town, you are never alone in anything you do.

I learned to drive before anyone from the city could. Being that the majority of people from small towns live on back roads, you are more likely to have been in the driver's seat learning to drive before the age of 15 with your Learner's Permit if you are from a small town.

I have learned to milk a cow, cut a tree with an ax, drive a tractor, ride a horse, and a multitude of random, yet somehow useful, activities throughout my life. Being from a small town actually, opens the doors to activities that you can do during the weekend. While we may not have music festivals/concerts or professional sports teams to watch on the weekends we are given the opportunity to learn things that come in handy at the most random moments! (Once I won a "Minute to Win It" game because I knew how to rope a plastic cow!!!!)

Being from a small town does not mean we are missing out on life's adventures if anything we are creating adventures that many people will never experience. Being from a small town does not limit us to a small town mindset and only small town activities. We are granted the opportunity to do small town activities, and are only a short hop, skip, and jump from being able to do big city shenanigans. We are given the same opportunities as people from larger cities, and we have the support of a whole community behind us.

I'm so thankful to be from a small town, and I will never forget the things it has taught me!