For a lot of students here at Cortland, we grew up on Long Island. We experienced snowstorms, warm summers, high school, driving tests, our first jobs and our first loves. Long Island will always have a special place in my heart. It’s where my whole family grew up and where I met my best friends. As my junior year will be coming to a close, my heart has been set on finding a new destination.

For all of us juniors we recently met with advisors, who were able to provide us with more stress. They also reminded us to have our resumes perfected, and reminding us to stay focused. For so long I have been so scared for the future, and I’m sure all my peers can say the same. With the fear comes the excitement, but I know one thing, Long Island won’t be my home anymore.

Growing up on Long Island has been incredible and amazing, but at this point in my life I want to leave New York and I want to experience what else there is in the world. As the fall rolls around I will start to look for jobs that are everywhere except New York.

Leaving behind family and my best friends is the scariest thought, but I know that in order to grow I need to be able to see the country from a new place. I want to find a new place that I will be able to call home. Long Island will always be my favorite place to come back to, with the smells and the sounds.

I know that it’s so scary to move to a place where you will most likely not know a single person. But I think it's what we need in order to grow. We need new sights, new smells, and new experiences. We need to be by ourselves for a while and have a fresh start.

So thank you Long Island for always being my place to go back to, and the place I was able to experience so many incredible things. Within the next year (class of 2017!) I will be saying my goodbyes to many things that have created who I am. It’s scary, but for me it’s a part of growing up that I’m ready for.

Long Island you will always be my hometown, but for now, I’m going to find a place with new smells, sounds and experiences.