Every time I tell someone at school that I am from NYC, their next question is always, “Why did you leave NYC for boring Maryland?” I always tell them that I have many explanations and give them one general one.

“BECAUSE I WANTED TO!”

No, but in all seriousness, I love my hometown and may or may not end up going back after college. I am somewhat torn between my old home and my temporary/new home. I have so many awesome friends and family back home that I really love and miss. So this article serves as my way of telling why I left home.

1. I needed a fresh start

1. Growing up in NYC, I always found myself in some type of trouble. Not anything major like drugs and that kind of stuff but hanging with the wrong crowds of people. What I learned back then was that you don’t have to necessarily be doing the crime but people will label you guilty by association. I often found myself being the innocent party in certain situations but I would somehow get attached to it because my attachment to the groups. So I left NY in hopes of leaving the group mentality and dropping those bad friends. I must say that not having guilt placed on you is a very great feeling. My life is completely drama-free, THANK GOD!

2. I have dreams bigger than NYC

They say that New York City is where dreams come true…or is that Disney World? I forget. Anyway, I set very high goals for myself and I wanted to make sure that I had the best opportunities to make my dreams a reality. I love NYC and I am grateful for all the opportunities provided; However, it’s a big world out there and I want to make sure that I take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. Since I have been in Maryland, I have done so much networking and have made so many connections. I have had more success with networking here than in my own hometown. I am determined to make my dreams come true by any means necessary.

3. I wanted to be better equipped to serve in my community

Since I have been in Maryland, I have learned so much about life. I go the biggest eye-opener in my freshman year sociology class. We were discussing socio-economic status that day. I realized that there are people out there who have some bizarre living conditions. There are people who are not as fortunate as I am and as a result, it affects their education. It was then that I decided to be the change I wanted to see in my community. Whether I moved back to NYC to teach or stayed here in Maryland, I was going to teach children who came from these horrendous conditions. I want to be the person to show them love despite the hell they experience at home. I want to be the person that reminds them that their socio-economic status does not define them. No matter who they are, or who their parents are, or what their backgrounds are, they can still be great and do great things. I can take the information that I learned here in Maryland, back to New York and use it to impact lives. I could also use the information that I learned growing up in New York and impact lives here the same way. I have a wealth of information under my belt and I will use that information to leave a positive influence on whatever community I am in.