This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet my favorite celebrity once again, Selena Gomez. Three years ago, I met her in Columbus with my mom for my 16^th birthday. I was incredibly nervous walking into the room where she was and, oddly, security calmed me down. I walked in and she immediately hugged me and asked how I was doing. We talked for a minute or two about our sister age gaps – she asked how a 21-year age gap feels because her little sister was only a few months old. She even brought her cousin, who was sitting in the corner of the room, into the conversation because she was so surprised we had something in common. Throughout the entire time, she was enthusiastic and engaged in our conversation, making me feel incredibly special and appreciated. She asked if I wanted a certain pose for our photo, so I explained it to her. After we took our photo, we said our goodbyes and I headed out of backstage to my seats. The experience was phenomenal, I was ecstatic. It was the best birthday present yet.

I knew I wanted to meet her again.

And, I did. After hours of debating with my mom over my price limit for my soon-to-be Christmas present, I got the okay (as long as I put some of my own money toward it). So I did.

After almost eight months of waiting for the day of the show to arrive, it finally did.

This time around, I met her with my friend, Amanda, whom I became friends with in line at the Columbus show. Compared to last time, this meet and greet/backstage experience was slightly different, because the VIP company changed, resulting in a different package experience. Instead of just waiting in line, going in to meet her and going directly to our seats, we were put into a backstage lounge filled with food and drinks, met Selena and were then taken on a backstage tour. Being in the lounge prior to meeting Selena made the nervousness and anxieties of meeting her go away – it was a really relaxed environment filled with a diverse group of people. The room was filled with people my age, younger boys and girls, moms, dads – any kind of person you could think of. After about thirty minutes of socializing in the lounge, our host took us down to the meet and greet, which was located in the basement of the arena – we went down about five flights of stairs to get there! My friend and I were the second in line to meet Selena and we were nervous, but more so excited. We debated for a while on how we wanted to work the meet and greet, but after speaking with our VIP host, we went in together. Just like last time, Selena immediately smiled and hugged us both. She told us she liked our outfits and laughed at our gift, which she had us hand over to one of her “homies” (one of her best friends sitting in the corner of the room). We talked to her for a little together – she was shocked that we met her three years ago – and then my friend and I took our individual photos. Before my photos, I reminded her of our conversation from last time – the one about our sisters. She lit up and kept saying something about how she loves it, but she said she misses her sister so much since she’s on tour and obviously cannot see her as much. I appreciated the comment greatly, because obviously, her family is a personal topic, yet she still brought it up in the conversation. After my photo, I hugged her goodbye and – here’s my favorite part – she hugged me back with a “so good to see you again” – something she did not have to include and something I did not expect her to include. It was a comment that made the experience way more special than it already was.

I could go on and on about how I love Selena and my experience (I can probably write an entire concert review…). However, I want to emphasize my appreciation toward her due to my experiences.

Combined, I have spent probably five minutes one-on-one with Selena. So, for me to say I understand her personality and her character, it sounds kind of crazy. However, I have met other celebrities before and I have friends who have met celebrities before. Selena is by far the most genuine, humble, down-to-earth and appreciative celebrity I have met. She continues the conversation when you speak to her, which in my opinion, really shows that she cares. In meet and greet, you do not feel rushed and uncomfortable. Selena listens to what you have to say and she is so relaxed (when I say relaxed, I mean it. I met her in leggings, tennis shoes and a crop top) and calm that I never felt nervous. I was treated as if I was one of her friends.

Within the three year gap between my first meet and greet experience with her and my most recent experience, Selena has not changed. She is still the same woman I met three years ago – except now she’s stronger and exudes confidence. Despite her immense increase in success between three years ago and now, her ego and “I’m famous” attitude are still non-existent. Everything she does is heartfelt and filled with passion and determination, qualities that are obvious within all of her work. She puts her heart and energy into it all.

I am incredibly thankful for my experiences with her and I hope to have more in the future. Selena’s had me as a fan since I was young and, if you could not tell, I am not going anywhere!