I didn't know it when I first applied, but Iowa State was where I was meant to be. The hardships that I've faced in my three semesters so far, the changing of my major and the making of so many fun memories were all supposed to happen right here. How do I know this? Let me tell you about why I chose Iowa State.
I should start by saying that I'm terrible at giving people a notice in advance about things. When I registered for my campus visit to ISU, it was about a month before I was coming down. But, I didn't tell my mom or my sisters until about a week before I planned to visit. My sisters and mom all had work, so I was on my own for this visit.
The two colleges that I was interested in visiting were Iowa State and the University of Kansas. Iowa State was my first campus visit and I was nervous. It was four hours away from my house, and driving the distance didn't affect me at all. It was going alone that scared me. Still, I got into my car at 6 a.m. and headed down the road.
I made it about two hours when my eyes started to get tired. I drove to town and stopped at Casey's General Store for one of those Starbucks espresso drinks. It was a two minute stop and then I was back on my merry way.
After about another hour, I had to use the bathroom. At this point I was only 50 miles or so away from Ames. The next exit was a rest stop in Dows, Iowa. I decided to make another pit stop to relieve my bladder. It was then that things took a turn for the worse.
Once I had gotten back into my car and turned it on, I put it into reverse to leave. But as I pressed on the gas pedal, my car refused to move. I put it back in park, turned it off and then back on, and tried again. Still, the car didn't move. I kept pressing on the gas pedal, when suddenly I heard some clinking. I looked out my window, and down the parking lot rolled this little cylinder looking piece that came form my car. I. Was. Stranded.
At first, I tried to see if I could tell where the piece came from. I know absolutely nothing about cars, so this didn't help me much. Next, I sat on the ground and thought about what I was going to do. How was I going to get home?! This was my family's only car at the time, so they couldn't help. I called my mom and started crying.
As I hung up with my mom so she could find a ride down, the man that was mowing the grass had stopped and walked over. He looked at the piece that was now sitting next to me and said, "Looks like your car's broken." Thanks for the tip, bud.
He wasn't all jokes though. The man led me inside where another lady was working. Her name was Candy, and she was about as sweet as that. Together, we tried to find a tow truck that could pick up my car. I told them that the tow truck was great, but I had only come with about $100 dollars. Candy asked me what I was doing so far from home, and I told her I was heading down to Iowa State for a campus visit. That's when I realized Candy was one of my guardian angels. She looked at me and said, "Oh sweetie, we need to get you there now."
I've met a lot of nice people in my life. Once, this lady paid for the five dollars I was short when I was buying groceries. Another time a guy returned my phone to me after I left it on the bus. But there was no other stranger that had more trust, more faith in me than Candy at that moment.
I had no idea what to expect. Maybe she was willing to give me a ride? She mentioned it, but then remembered that someone needed to watch the office. The next thing that she said was, "I wouldn't normally do this, but you need to make it to this visit. My car's not the newest, but it's insured and it'll get you there."
I didn't even realize what she was saying. This lady who had just met me, a 17-year-old girl, was lending me her car. What?! And I thought Minnesotans were nice. I thanked Candy bout 100 times and let her know exactly when I would be back.
As I started down the road again to Ames, I started crying (again). I couldn't believe that this woman had trusted me with her car. I mean, I like to think that I look trustworthy, but this was still unbelievable.
When I finally made it to Iowa State's welcoming center, I apologized for being late. I told the guides about what had happened, and it even made them cry! They were even kind enough to make a thank you basket, filled with rice Krispy treats, a T-Shirt and a stuffed Cy toy. I sat it in the car and then went on my visit.
About halfway through our tour, my friend's mom called me and said that my friend, Sophie, and her brother were on their way down to pick up my car and me. My mom, having not found a ride, called her for help. The Lunds have always been there for me when it comes to car crises. I felt safe knowing that I had a way home.
After all this happened, I couldn't help but think about what my visit would have been like had I not gone through all this. Would I have felt that the people genuinely cared about me? I certainly would have never met Candy. Then it hit me that I was meant to go here. Candy said it herself: I needed to make it to this visit.
Not everyone gets a story like this when they visit colleges. Not everyone meets someone like Candy when they have car troubles. Not everyone has a family like the Lunds when they need a little help. But I believe in fate and I believe in signs. Whether it is going off to college, or starting a new job, I know that there will be signs to help me find my way, whichever way that might be.
