People spend their lives searching for happiness. Many people find happiness in a person, others find it in a place, idea or a hobby. I always wondered when I would finally find the place that I truly belonged. After 18 years of searching, not to mention many ups and downs along the road, I finally found where my heart feels at home: Miami.

I went to a high school in a very small town. Everyone knew everything about everyone. It was such a close-knit town that everyone that I went to school with felt like family. However, I always felt that I never truly fit in with the people that I knew in my youth. Sure, I had some great times in high school and had made a few good friends, but my heart never felt whole. I always felt that my life could be happier. Also, I never truly felt good about myself and always wondered if I would find real, undebatable bliss of mind. Every day dragged on and on, with me continuing to wait for the next weekend or the next break. High school could not have gone slower for me. My mom and dad always told me that college would be “my place.” They have never been more right about anything before.

It may seem like a cliché, but college truly has been the happiest time of my life. Not only was the freedom and social life amazing, but I grew as a person and met so many true friends that I hope to keep for a lifetime. I tried new things. I laughed more than I had ever laughed in my entire life. And most of all, I found my true self.

As the year went on, my friendships grew stronger and I grew more independent and genuinely happy. I began to act more like my true self and less like the person that people expected me to be. By doing so, I found people that truly completed me. I even found friends just as weird and unique as myself. These people build me up, never tearing me down for enjoyment. Every day was just as amazing as the next. I never wanted the year to ever end.

Even though I never planned to go to Miami, attending the beautiful and tropical school was the best decision that I could have ever made in my life. I got to step outside the bubble that I had lived in for so many years and get experience the real world. Just thinking of returning to my own little slice of paradise makes me smile. The culture, the people, and the freedom of my freshman year made me who I am today, and I just want to thank everyone that helped me reach such a happy mental state.