This time 15 years ago, we were walking into an unfamiliar space clenching to our parents hard enough to rip their hands off. We were staring at all of the colorful walls and listening to our classmates run around the room screaming, "Tag! You're it!" And 15 years ago today, we began a lifetime of learning, memories, and friendships. We grew up with Hannah Montana backpacks and Ninja Turtle lunch boxes. Everybody could sing to "High School Musical" whether they liked it or not and "Fireflies" by Owl City was a must have on the MP3 playlist. We had our first sleepovers in middle school. Our first crushes and our first heartbreaks happened (but it was OK because we had "Picture to Burn" by Taylor Swift).
In high school, we began to knit our groups together and created close relationships with new people. We were challenged by our teachers until we figured out our talents in school. We cheered at sporting events and danced at prom. What we didn't realize about those years is that they would go by fast -- too fast. Before we knew it we were throwing our caps in the air and packing our boxes for college. What happened to our childhood? Since when did Aeropostale T-shirts go out of style? When did Miley Cyrus say goodbye to her double life? And 15 years ago our childhood began, and now it's coming to an end so quickly.
We say goodbye to our family one last time before moving away, we cram in every chance we get to enjoy one last ice cream date with our best friends, and the hardest part? We say goodbye to our childhood home. Dorothy once said, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home." If only we could click our shoes and come home anytime we want. Although we are excited about new beginnings, new memories and new freedoms, nothing beats the comfort of home. The sunsets, the local coffee shops, the people and the backroads which lead to our favorite pastimes all create home, and home will never be forgotten.
Our childhood ship has sailed, it is time to grow up and face the harsh reality of the real world. We have to accept our college campuses as our new homes. We have to create new memories and make new friends just like we did 15 years ago. We can no longer grab our parents hand a scream when they let go. We are excited about school but nervous about what we have to leave behind: our home, our comfort zone. It is time to create a name for ourselves and accept everything adulthood has to offer. No matter where we are, who we stay close with, and how often we visit home, memories will never fade. "Spongebob Squarepants" will always be a classic, "A Walk to Remember" will always make you cry and "Apple Bottom Jeans" will never come back into style.
