My family was "Gator" through and through. Blue and orange were the staple colors in my house. My grandpa always wears his “Florida Gator” shirt and shorts even when it isn’t a Saturday game day. My mom met her best friend at UF and they always talk about the “good old times at the Porpoise” and “Mr. Two-Bits”. My oldest cousin even went to UF and my first actual encounter with a college campus was watching the Gators defeat the Gamecocks in 2008. Please excuse the braces. It was my awkward phase… that I’m low-key still in.

During spring break junior year, I went on a huge college road-trip with my mom and my sister. My parents strategically planned each moment of the trip- booking hotels, renting a car, packing the cooler to the brim with soda and snacks. We would start in Tallahassee, make our journey through Alabama and Georgia, and finally end our journey in Gainesville. I couldn’t wait to get the grand tour of the school I was meant to go to but would have to wait basically a week, and four other schools, to get there. “You can get one souvenir shirt from each college, and maybe a long sleeve from one if you want,” my mom said on our seven-hour ride to Tallahassee. I knew exactly where that long sleeve would be purchased and the anticipation was mounting for the moment we got to Gainesville.

The morning of my Florida State tour I was apprehensive. I had asked my mom before our trip if we could skip FSU because I knew I never wanted to go there. It’s UF’s in-state rival so of course, it was in my blood to never think of considering spending four, let alone one, year of college there. But then the tour began and I fell in love. The beautiful scenery, the tradition, and most of all the undying love each person has for being a Seminole. It was such a weird feeling that I was so in love with something that I had grown up despising. My mom asked me after our tour what I thought of the school. It was so hard not to tell her how in love I was. How could I crush my mom’s dreams like that? She has never once liked FSU and I wasn’t about to tell her that this was where I wanted to go to school.

"It's alright I guess. I mean I haven't seen any other places, but I can think about it."

We continued our trip and visited the University of Alabama, Auburn University, University of Georgia, and finally approached the University of Florida. I still hadn’t fallen completely in love with any school besides FSU. (Auburn was my top out of state pick, but I’m sadly not made of money). The UF tour concluded and my mom asked the same question – what did I think. I had to be honest.

“To be honest, I really didn’t like it. It’s not the place I can see myself going.”

And even though it may have crushed my mom’s gator heart, it was the best decision I ever made. Being at Florida State has changed me for the better. Even though my mom swears she will never wear garnet and gold, I know she has converted to a semi-Nole fan (See what I did there. Haha, okay I’ll stop). Now my whole family, grandparents and all, rep the Seminole spirit. My parents are avid “A Season With…” watchers, my mom even put an FSU Mom sticker on her car, and my grandpa wears a garnet shirt at least once a week. I am so happy to be blessed with people who supported my decision to break the barrier and take a risk. I am also so happy to call myself a Florida State Seminole.

Whole Squad dropping me off!! Go Noles!! Go State!!