I have officially lived in the city of Nashville for over a year. As cliché as this may sound, I have wanted to live in this city since I was a young girl – and it wasn’t in pursuit of the country music scene. I’ve never had any aspirations to make it big in music city; I just wanted to be in the atmosphere where dreams are made. When I accepted Belmont University’s offer to become a student, I couldn’t have been more elated. Every trip to watch the Nashville Predators play at Bridgestone Arena during the final months of high school solidified the idea that it wasn’t just a dream anymore. My phrases went from “I wish I could live here; I mean look at all of the excitement and energy!” to “I can’t believe I’m going to live here. Nashville is my new home.”

Nashville has given me the confidence to be who I want to be. The pictures I post on Instagram went from me wearing my high school’s cheerleading uniform and bow to wearing my black, leather jacket and rocking dark red and purple lipstick (I’m still my happy-go-lucky, bubbly, optimistic self - believe me). Think of Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” song – except something about Nashville makes me feel like a dangerous woman. I’m not judged or stereotyped; I’m accepted as Nashville is a community and a family within itself. I’m a part of Nashville, and it’s a part of me. I don’t have to try to impress the individuals around me, nor do I have to act a certain way to “fit in.” I don’t even have to wear a flannel or cowboy boots.

Nashville is full of dreams and opportunities. I want to be a pediatric oncology surgeon when I’m older, and Nashville obliged and has already given me so many opportunities to be immersed in the medical field (told you I wasn’t musically inclined). The city life has given me the motivation needed to strive to accomplish short-term goals in order to shine above the rest of my competition and be the doctor and individual that I want to be. Nashville helped me find and fine-tune a better version of myself, in which I continually work on every single day. (It takes a special kind of person to remain patient with organic chemistry homework, let me tell you).

Finding painted graffiti walls down 12^th South or Hillsboro to take pictures is the new norm. My weekends are spent surrounded by friends, eating sushi at Nama, or making smores on rooftops in The Gulch. West End is where I find myself drooling over all of the restaurants that line both sides of the road, while Broadway has become basically my second Nashville home because Bridgestone is where the Nashville predators play. I literally pride myself with my hockey attendance and knowledge. The movie theaters at Green Hills or Thompson Lane have become my go-to for a relaxing few hours to catch the new psychological thrillers; then I find myself studying back at Belmont. It’s not just Broadway’s lights that make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside - it’s the entire city, free-spirited atmosphere and social surroundings.

Since living in Nashville, I’ve done just that – live. Even though I plan every aspect on a planner and to-do list, Nashville still allows spontaneity to be prevalent. I’ve been to more concerts and have met more celebrities in the past year alone than I have the previous 18 years combined. Who knew I could go to the Kanye concert for free and sing “Heartless” from the top of my lungs? My eighth-grade self-was a very happy camper. I was once woken up from a nap at 5:30 p.m. on two occasions, in which one hour later I found myself at a Mac Miller concert, and the other instance at Predators vs. Blues game. I also bought the tickets at 5:30 p.m.

Nashville has changed me, but for the better. I’m no longer the high school girl who was scared to have a little fun and would drive herself insane if something from her ultimate game plan went wrong (being a perfectionist is such a terrible mental game). I’ve learned to rely on others because being “miss independent” can only get a person so far. Nashville has shown me that I can dream and aspire to be and do anything I want, infinitely. I can’t thank my city enough.