Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to go away to college. I love where I am from and I am proud of my home but I knew I wanted something different. You can ask anyone: my family, my friends or even my high school teachers. Everyone knew I wanted to leave. And so leave I did.

I started my college search rather early just because I was so excited to peruse the endless possibilities of universities. I looked on the West Coast and the East Coast and anywhere in between. I had no limits and I was ready to find something that met all of my criteria and would become my new home for the next four years. Once I found it, I was sold. I made my decision, started planning and told everyone I knew that I had found the place.

I haven't looked back since. The opportunities I have had, the people I have met and even the hardships I have faced have made for the best experience of my life. It has been a change though. I see the change in my family when I come home, all the memories they have made while I was away. I see it in my friends as they stayed and know everyone that each other knows and have made friends without me present. I see it in my city as it grows and develops while I'm across the country. I even see it in my dog as it takes her a second to recognize me.

In life, you have to sacrifice things in order to create a life for yourself. When you go away to college, whether it be one state over or across the country, you are sacrificing time and memories with your family and friends. You are sacrificing developing alongside the people you have loved for 18 years. But let me tell you, if you decide to take the leap, you won't regret it at all.

While I miss my friends and family, I know they will be there for me when I come home because we have loved each other for the majority of my life. But sometimes you get lucky enough to find friends and family in your new home, and that I did.

I have found the most amazing group of friends that I, without a doubt in my mind, consider my family. That's just part of growing up, you have to make friends that turn into family as you go along. You have to find places that turn into home as well. Enjoy the experience, welcome the hardships and get excited for all that is to come.