When I first submitted my deposit to attend Auburn University, I simply thought it would be a great place to go to school and a lot of fun along the way. What I did not intend on was how the University would shape me as a person and help me to mature into an "Auburn Woman." However, after three years here, an Auburn Woman is exactly what I have become.

After visiting the University of Georgia last week and coming across some of their fans, I was beyond happy to reach the Lee County line. Finally, I was back in a place that I knew as home. My experience at the University of Georgia was not as bad as some other Auburn fans that shared their experiences, but it made me realize just how blessed I am to be an Auburn Tiger. Many of my high school friends will tell me that I only attended Auburn because I did not get into the University of Georgia, and they are right. I never even considered applying there in the first place. 

I am happy for my friends who attend other schools, and I am very thankful that they love the place they study. However, out of high school I needed something more. I needed something that was going to help me to grow, to prosper, and to shape me into a person anyone would feel proud to be; that is when my journey led me to Auburn. 

Upon my first tour I learned about Auburn's magical traditions, and every student I passed offered me a friendly smile and a "War Eagle." At no other university I toured did I feel that sense of welcoming and passion in a student body. Fast forward to my first day of class and I never felt fear in asking someone for directions; I always knew that whomever I asked would help me.

After a weekend away, I realized that a student's time at Auburn University is so much more than classes, tests, and football games. Auburn is knowing that no matter where you are, a friendly "War Eagle" is never too far away. Auburn is knowing that win or lose on that football field, you still feel a sense of pride in your football team and your campus. Auburn is offering a, "good game," exchange to a Texas A&M fan after their football team upsets your chance at the playoffs. An Auburn experience is unexplainable, but it will shape you for the rest of your life.

From our first days at Auburn until our time at graduation, the Auburn Creed is instilled in our brains. While to some a creed may be meaningless, the Auburn Creed deems what is important to be an Auburn Man or Woman. The Auburn Creed teaches Auburn students to believe in hard work, to keep it clean at sporting events, and to treat others as you would like to be treated. It is because of this creed that I truly believe that no student leaves Auburn University simply a college graduate; they leave Auburn changed forever.

I cannot sum up all the reasons that I am thankful to be an Auburn Tiger in just one article, but I can tell you this: had I not attended Auburn, I believe I would have truly missed out. I needed a university that was going to help me to mature, to help me grow into a better person, and to teach me values that go far beyond the classroom. That university is exactly what I got. War Eagle always and forever.