During my senior year of high school when I was applying to different colleges, I made the decision not to apply to any schools in Hawaii. From an outsider’s perspective, I can see why this is difficult to understand, but there were many things that led me to believe that it was the right choice for me to leave the islands when I pursued a higher education.

When I was nine years old my family moved from Lexington, Kentucky to the small town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii. Though as a young girl I was initially upset to be leaving my friends and everything I knew behind, I quickly grew to love and appreciate my new home.

As I got older, though, I realized that I felt stuck. Both of the towns my family lived in on the Big Island – Pahoa and Waimea – were relatively small in comparison to any town on the mainland, or the continental U.S., and I wanted a change in scenery.

The best part about “island life” is the laidback feeling that accompanies it. People aren’t in a hurry. They don’t care how much money you make, or what religion you’re a part of. If you show respect and kindness, you receive it in return. I met an incredible bunch of caring individuals and families that helped shape me into the young woman that I am today. As hard as it was to leave them, I knew I needed to “get off the rock” to both meet new people and see new places.

The main reason I decided to leave is that not only is it extremely difficult to find a good job in Hawaii, but the price of living is exceptionally high. A gallon of milk is close to $5 and gas is well over $3. People don’t often take the time to think of the economy attached to those heavenly beaches. So many people decide to pack up and move to Hawai’i, sometimes without even having a solid job to go to when they arrive. They assume that the move with go over with ease. Because of this, many end up living their lives in a less than satisfactory way. I wasn’t willing to stay in Hawaii and merely hope to find a good job when I graduated, all the while dealing with a higher cost of living that I could have elsewhere.

While it isn’t ideal to only see my family once a year when Christmas rolls around, I am grateful for the opportunity I was given to attend school in Utah. I am constantly longing to go back and see the people and places that I love, but I know that I have also met a lot of people here who have contributed to my continual growth. I’m not sure that I will ever move back, but I do know that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the people and experiences that I’ve dealt with living in paradise.