What do the states of Washington and Oklahoma have in common? After growing up in Washington and leaving to go to Oklahoma State University I can tell you, not very much. But after the past three years in Oklahoma I’ve come to realize how many changes I have gone through and all the differences in the surrounding environment.

When I first came to Oklahoma, I was scared that I would be ostracized for my religious and political beliefs. I was afraid to mention anything I believed in. Coming from a generally unreligious and left winged area, moving to the bible belt made me pretty anxious.

My freshman year I refused to discuss anything I thought would mark me as different and make people dislike me before they knew me. It would come up in classes and I would give very basic answers that were not always true. I avoided any opportunity where any beliefs were brought up.

My sophomore year I began to feel comfortable enough around my friends to start talking politics. I realized then that they didn’t care about what I believed about certain things, and that they would accept me for what I do instead of what I believe. I started to become comfortable with who I am, and where I am.

This year the worry is completely gone. I still don’t bring up politics or religion but if they are brought up I don’t avoid it. I have the knowledge now that if someone doesn’t want to be around you because of your beliefs, you probably won’t want to be around them.

That has been my biggest takeaway here. People who give you grief for your beliefs are not people you want to spend time with. So never be afraid to express yours, it will only lead to you knowing who you actually want to hang out with.

Leaving your comfort zone can be frightening. Completely immersing yourself in a culture completely outside it at your college can be horrifying. But when you realize that there are plenty of people all around that share your views, all that worry goes away.

The biggest thing for me to realize is that this university, like many, is a collection of students from all over the world. I thought people would care about my religious and political beliefs, but everyone has a different story and different beliefs that all come together beautifully in college.

Everyone is busy figuring out their own lives, their own beliefs, they are all too busy to be worrying about yours.

If, like me, you are attending or plan to attend a college in an area very different from where you grew up, don't worry. Be yourself and you will find the people you want to be around, and maybe they wont care if you’re a democrat or a republican, a liberal or a conservative. If people enjoy being around you then they’ll be around you. Don't pretend to be someone you're not, because everyone's too busy figuring themselves out to give you crap for being who you are.