One statement that frequents the mouths of many people my age from my hometown is: "I hate Kinston. It has nothing to offer, and it's lame."

I couldn't disagree more. I will say, there's not a huge mall with a Macy's or a Starbucks for all the macchiato lovers, but I don't see how that could make anyone hate our town.

You see, this place made me who I am. I grew up going to school here and taking dance at one of the finest places in Eastern North Carolina. I took my first steps here. I graduated high school here. And I discovered my passions and found Jesus right here in Kinston, North Carolina.

In this small town that has "nothing to offer," people recognize each other and are quick to ask how you're doing. People see you in the newspaper and cut it out to give to your grandfather at church just because they thought they knew you. People remember you at restaurants and always give you your favorite booth just because they know how much you love it. People rally together in this small town for local families affected by tragedies and buy bumper stickers for the back of their cars just to honor people from our town that have died, even though they've never met them before.

There are people in this town that maybe I don't get along with so well or never really got the chance to connect with. We might have different viewpoints, but that never meant our town did anything wrong. You'll most likely never find a place that you'll get along with absolutely everyone in. Same goes for Kinston. People say our town is too dangerous. There's danger everywhere, some just gets put on the news more than others. The good people outnumber the bad in this town, and I can say that 100 percent honestly.

Dreams are supported in this town. People work very hard to build each other up and make our small town produce big dreams and realities. Our Mayor, BJ Murphy, answered a petition I proposed for childhood cancer awareness no questions asked and came right to my high school to sign it and tour. You won't find a caring, diplomatic mayor like him in just any town. Recently, a guy who graduated from the same high school as me, Keith Haynie, started a tie initiative, just to collect ties to give to graduating boys to dress professionally on the day they worked so hard to earn so they can get jobs and achieve their dreams. You won't find people who love people so much just anywhere.

I'm not saying my town is perfect, but it's surely made up of some life changing people and ideas. It's taking time, but people want this town to succeed. Look on most street corners and you'll see something that says, "Kinston: We're on our way!" We are on our way, Kinston. And if people will support local businesses and local dreams, our town can be just as amazing, regardless of having a Macy's at the mall. We don't have a Starbucks, we have a tasty local coffee shop owned by personable people. The town itself has a bowling alley, a skating rink, a water park, and a baseball field. You can get your car tinted on one street and your taxes done on the next by local businesses who will treat you with respect and greet you with a smile. It's the people who choose not to support those places or each other that really change perceptions of this town.

This place is where I took my first steps. It's where I met my best friend and where I got to graduate high school right beside my twin brother. It's where I found Jesus, and it's where I figured out what I want to do for the rest of my life. It's where people wave when you see them at the grocery store and where many farmers produce the very food I eat. It's where people stop to let you cross the street and say, "Bless you!" when you sneeze. And someday I'll give back to that small town that first gave to me.