This time last year, I was so excited to move in at Penn State Altoona. I had my dorm assignment, class schedule, and everything packed up just ready for August to come. Sometime in June, I got a postcard from admissions saying how I could win a free T-shirt, and the only thing I had to do was write on the back of the postcard, "I'm a Penn Stater because..." and then post it on social media. It took a little time, but there was no doubt in my mind as to why I chose Penn State as my second home.

(Please forgive the awkward picture of myself)

As you can see from the postcard, I'm a Penn Stater because Penn State is in my family and my blood. Growing up, I was taught to bleed nothing but blue and white. My grandfather has had season tickets for 44 years now, so you can imagine the millions of pictures, stories, and memories that were made (and then passed on to me) in the parking lot of Beaver Stadium. I was about 13 years old when I officially decided that Penn State would be my dream college. But its more than just family that influenced my decision. The campus has a way of speaking for itself...

My first Penn State football game was the first time I felt like it was an actual possibility that I could attend such a prestigious university, my mother looked at the student section, the looked at me and said, "Just think, that could be you next year". There was noting better than the atmosphere, the sense of family, and the energy to come out of Beaver Stadium. I knew I was destined to be standing in the student section, being tossed into the air after a touchdown, and cheering on my Nittany Lions.

On my first tour of Main Campus, it took me about five minutes to fall in love with the University Park campus, even on a rainy day. As the lion ambassadors weaved us in and out of buildings and forced current students to respond to the "WE ARE" chant, I couldn't help but feel like a part of the Penn State family already. As we toured the Smeal College of Business, I knew that I was destined to be a business major. Not to mention, the creamery was the icing on the delicious cake that was Penn State.

So, Penn State was always my number one choice, but why Altoona? For starters, it was incredibly cheaper to do the "2+2" program: two years at a branch campus and then two years at University Park. But it wasn't just the money, because I came from a small high school (about 1,000 kids K-12, 71 in my graduating class), I needed something to ease my transition from high school to college, rather than being thrown into over 90,000 students. Altoona felt like home, and soon after being enrolled, I found my family there. If I could go back in time and make my decision over again, I wouldn't trade that for the world. Altoona is my second home, and I will be sad to be leaving next year.

There are many reasons why I chose Penn State; because "WE ARE" only has one response, because my closet is filled with blue and white, because my favorite animal as a kid was the Nittany Lion, and because Happy Valley was my dream town. For me, Penn State was the only choice, and I'm so happy to say I've found my family here. I made it into the school of my dreams, and I can't wait to see how being a Penn State Alumni will impact my future. WE ARE.....