The last time I was home, my father told me a story as it related to me going away to college. My brother was going in for his High School Senior Pictures and the girl that took his pictures graduated with me in May of 2014. The girl greeted my brother and proceeded to say how familiar he looked to her. Later, she made the connection that I was his older sister and we had been stand partners in orchestra. She proceeded to conclude the rather awkward encounter with this short sweet phrase, “Oh, yeah. She’s the one that moved away.”

Yep, I sure did move away and it has been the best things that I could have possibly done for myself. Uprooting my life from Arizona and planting a new seed in Connecticut, of all places, has made me a stronger, more confident, and an extremely different person. I lived in the “Mesa Bubble” shielding me from the real world and all it has to offer. I have experienced incredible peaks with the most beautiful views and I have slumped into valleys that seemed near impossible to climb out of. Going 2,500 miles away from home has taught me that I have the power, will, and dedication to do anything I set my mind to, which is something that I severely lacked in high school.

May 2014 was such a long time ago and the person I was then would not believe the person I am now. I joined an incredible sisterhood, Delta Phi Epsilon, that has shown me that I can love myself for who I am while accepting that I now have this amazing support system and I don’t have to do anything on my own. I was an orientation leader for two of my summers, influencing the class of 2019 and the class of 2020 to be leaders and well-rounded members of the University of New Haven community. I am a tour guide, an advocate, for my school and the life changing experiences I have had these past two and a half years of college. I am going to Nashville this spring semester to focus on my profession within the music industry while interning with Warner Music Group in their publicity department. Within each of these roles, I have learned so much about myself. I am a leader, a sister, a charger, a dreamer and a firecracker ready to tackle any challenge that comes my way.

So yes, I am the girl that moved away, but my success extends far beyond a title that suggests being forgotten. If I stayed in Mesa, I would be lightyears behind where I am now and I am so grateful to have moved on. Life is just a compilation of tiny adventures. Some are smaller than others. Some are scary. Some are empowering. Some make you want to sleep under a rock for the next 300 years, but this one thing is for sure; moving away from home to be completely on your own will only benefit you and the person that you become. Take time to be selfish and ask yourself “Who am I?”

The answer you receive will be more surprising than you think.