Dear UWEC,

Before I settled onto your campus, it was hard for me to imagine calling anywhere else besides the town I had grown up in for 18 years home. After a few short months that is exactly what you became to me though; a second home. You welcomed me with open arms, and introduced me to a new family.

I fall in love with you more and more each day. There are few things more charming than the subtle jazz music and dim lighting in the evenings as you walk down Barstow st ,or as exhilarating as cliff jumping at Mount Simon, and nothing quite as relaxing as sitting on Putnam Rock watching the river flow just past your feet. You bring the right mixture of excitement and tranquility into my life. Eau Claire, you enchant me.

Aside from your beauty, you are also home to so many amazing things I have never experienced. You have taught me how enriching it can be to open my mind, and expand my comfort zone, yet at the same time, have enveloped me in a sense of community and belonging. Thank you for making me feel so safe on your streets and at peace under your stars.

I also want to thank you tremendously for the people you have introduced me to within your borders. They have quickly become another family to me and over exceeded my expectations of friendship. I cannot express just how grateful I am that you brought us all together.

I am truly blessed to be able to experience life within your borders. I couldn't have chosen a better place to spend my years as a college student. Now you do have some flaws; like the ginormous hill positioned in the middle of campus. The hill isn't exactly ideal, but I think it is a small price to pay for all you have to offer me and all of your residents.

So it is for all of the above reasons that you so easily became one of my favorite places and my new home. I know that I will not always reside here, but I know that I will look back on my time here fondly. A piece of my heart will always belong to you Eau Claire, WI.

XOXO