Frankfort, Kentucky holds a special place in my heart, its home. I’ve grown up here and it wasn't until I left it that I realized just how proud and thankful that I am to call this place home. This is the place that made me who I am today, and there is an indescribable charm about this town.

Just like any high schooler, I was convinced that there was nothing here and I couldn't wait to leave. Most days, we’d go out of town to have fun in surrounding cities with more to offer. However, its the nights we stayed in those city limits, the evenings spent in the stands at a football game or around a bonfire that stick with me the most. We stayed out too late, owned the backroads, and caused some trouble here and there but we loved every minute of it. The constant complaining stopped and in those moments I remembered just how special this place was. Surrounded with the people I’d been lucky enough to have in my life since elementary school, yeah, those were the perfect nights.

Everyone in this town has passion, and it is admirable in every way. For some theirs is for the sport that carried them to a scholarship, to others perhaps its for the education that will earn them a doctorate from their dream school. Everyone has their own individual passions, but everyone shares the same passion for this place (whether they’d like to admit it or not). In times of triumph, we unite and press forward, supporting the sports teams that made it to the next round of tournament or challenging our cross-town rivals. The hardships though, are the real test but we were always stronger. I have never heard of or seen a community that is able to unite, break rivalries, and move mountains quite like mine. There is a support system, much bigger than we know, ready to drop everything and stand behind one of our own.

The people are what makes a place so special. Sure, I know that the friends that I’ve made in college will always be in my life, and I'm thankful for each and every one of them. However, the ones who I spent 12 years with, that I grew up with and survived those awkward years with (no need to dwell on those), those people will forever hold a place in my heart. We’ve all grown together and gone our separate ways, but the bonds formed here will always remain.

Looking back, the laughs, the heartbreaks and the adventures all made growing up in this town one heck of a ride, one that I would never trade. I still have the same, if not greater sense of pride for my hometown and I know that I always will. Everyone has that place, the one that built them and I hope that you find the same passion for yours as I have for mine.