To my loving, supportive and motivating family,

It’s been about three weeks since we packed up the car, drove up five hours and rearranged every nook and cranny in my new “home away from home,” also known as my dorm room. This has been something we’ve been looking forward to since last year. Now that the long awaited college drop off is over, I look back on a few things and am extremely grateful for your patience, support, love and, of course, humor.

“It’s so exciting to start over and have so many new opportunities,” my mom would say to me throughout the car ride. I, a bit nervous, smiled a little and went back to my Spotify playlist that I had been listening to on loop the past four hours. It would be a huge journey for me, and one that I was definitely uneasy and uncertain about.

I am from a big family. In addition to my parent and my three siblings (they’re triplets!), I am lucky enough to have amazing grandparents and the coolest uncle, along with other relatives across New York and Florida. Saying goodbye to these important people in my life was anything but easy, and I am fortunate to say that all of these individuals have helped shape me into the strong, intelligent, independent person that I am today. They have provided me with the freedom to be who I am - a happy, klutzy, and (sometimes) nutty 18 year old.

From late night carpools with my mom to pick up my brother, weekends spent practicing driving with my uncle and hours upon hours editing articles with my father; these are the small, intimate moments that have helped me to grow.

As I enter my third week of classes here at Syracuse University, as a Magazine Journalism major, I often look back and wonder what is going on at home while I’m away. However, I look at where I am and how far I’ve come, and, like my mom says, I “keep on keeping on.”

The values, memories and sacred moments I’ve shared with my family give me the confidence and “push” to succeed in school and enjoy every single moment as a new college student (it still sounds so weird to say!). Although my life is very different than it was last year, it is filled with new and promising opportunities, both inside and outside of the classroom. I have been lucky to have met awesome, hilarious friends in my nearly 21 days here. These girls and guys are becoming my second family. I can now call the SU campus my second home.

As Winnie the Pooh once said (I know, intellectual!) “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Although it was a little sad to say goodbye to my family back home, it is because of them that I am able to enjoy and take in every moment at SU. So, Mom and Dad, the triplets (as we affectionately call them), Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts and Cousins, thank you for filling my life with so much love, humor and amazing energy that has allowed me to go out into the world on my own as a capable and confident college freshman. Can’t wait to see you next week!

With love always,

Lauren