Last fall I packed up my things and moved to Ada, Ohio to attend Ohio Northern University. Although I was roughly only an hour and twenty minutes from my house, it felt like I was in a totally different state. Instead of fighting the traffic trying to get across Columbus, I was fighting the wind of Ada since it is super flat and in the absolute middle of nowhere. When I first started looking at colleges, I never would have thought I would pick one away from the city, but I could not have made a better choice.

Moving away and out of the city got me out of my comfort zone. I was forced to meet new people and get acclimated to a completely new environment. For once in my life, my parents were not looking over my shoulder as I was making decisions. I did not have to ask for permission to go somewhere, and I was responsible for taking care of myself. Having this freedom led me to make decisions that I would have never made if I stayed closer to home. I never thought about writing for Odyssey, but I saw an opportunity to join and I decided to take it because it seemed like fun. This is one of the many great decisions that I made.

I needed to get away. I needed to go somewhere where my parents were not monitoring and editing every decision and move I made. I am extremely grateful that I have amazing and involved parents, but sometimes they inhibited me from growing as a person. Moving away forced me to accept my own responsibility and grow on my own.

I experienced things I would never have experienced anywhere else. I played softball in high winds that most people would think are indicating that a tornado is near. I met a bunch of other freshmen in a giant foam pit. I played mud volleyball and jumped in one of the lakes on campus after I was coated in mud. I got to play softball with some of the best people I have ever met. I went out and met some amazing people who I would never have met if I did not get out of my comfort zone.

Maybe I just needed to get out of the foggy and busy city because when I got to Ada I started to see things clearly just like the stars in the night sky. I'm not saying I completely found myself, but I definitely discovered a lot about myself that I had not known in high school.

So go on an adventure and get out of your comfort zone, and you will find where you belong. You will find something out about yourself and learn how to be your own person without your parents breathing down your neck. And when summer rolls around you will get to go back to where you came from and reunite with all your best friends, but a piece of you will be counting down the days until you get to be back with the best friends you just made. I know I already miss it.