"...Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

– Robert Frost, Road Not Taken

If you have been following my articles, you would know I went abroad to New Zealand, last semester. It was beyond beautiful and it changed me and my life. It taught me so much about myself, how to be by myself and most importantly I started my journey of self discovery. However, when I went away from Denison did I realize the value and uniqueness of Denison.

People say when you go away from a place is when you realize how valuable it is. That's exactly what happened. When I first reached Wellington, I felt like a fish outside water! Our university was a city campus, just a few buildings here and there, there were huge hills, no swimming pool within 20minutes, the class sizes were huge- almost 300 in one class, you could barely see the professor, there weren't many clubs or organizations, no fun activities that the university held and everyone lived far away from each other. I guess this is the difference between a private and public college. Don't get me wrong, I loved the university, I enjoyed my classes and loved the professors. But, Denison just has a different charm.

In Denison, you don't feel left out. If you are the weirdest human being, you are not alone. If you are an artist, you are not alone. If you are disabled, you are not alone. If you are an international student, you are not alone. If you have a shoe fetish, or love shopping, love eating, play quidditch, love spray painting, love having arguments, love being in your room, even then you are not alone.

In Denison, you are never alone.

Now, I come back as a senior, I am so happy to be back. Two days ago, I sat on a stage as a Students Coming From Abroad Pre-Orientation Coordinator, where we had to give advice to our first year international students. And this is what I said, and this goes out to everyone:

"After my abroad experience, I realized the importance of community, and started appreciating Denison more. This is a place where you can go up and hug your professors, you can talk to them, you can bond with your boss, you can talk to your college's president as if he was your closest friend, you can sit at a random table and make new friends, join clubs and organizations where they will teach you how to sail, swim or be healthy. You can meet people from all over the world, engage in new cultures, have a conversation with deer. More importantly, you can just be yourself!"

Don't be afraid to just be you. Respect yourself and your own decisions. Travel, experience new cultures, try new things. Sit next to a person you don't know, get to know people. Do not get sucked in F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out), if you don't want to go, say no. You haven't missed out on much. Don't get sucked into this bubble. Find your herd. Leave the hill, experience the culture outside. Listen to people, hear their stories, create memories.

Reach out ask for help! Say if something is wrong, talk, communicate. We are support system, we care and love each other. We are a community. This is a place where, if you need something or someone, they will drop everything to come help you. This is why we are chosen to be here. This is why we are Denisonians. Our greatest quality.

We have been chosen to be at Denison, take advantage of that opportunity. Don't let it go to waste. This is a journey, embrace it.