My First Semester at OSU

I'm sitting in bed in my home in Virginia and I never thought I would actually miss the tiny Twin XL bed in the towers - a dorm building that lies a mile away from Sullivant and forces me to hike 20 minutes to class a million times a week, rain or shine. By the end of senior year, I knew I was ready for college, ready for something new and exciting, but I also had some doubts being that I was hundreds of miles away from home. I find it so amazing that I have grown to love a place and an environment so much in just a matter of 4 months.

It really is crazy to think that in just one semester at OSU, I've matured this much. I've discovered the cliché of "finding oneself" while in college is true in every way. For 18 years, I've lived a life in fear of the future. I spent the majority of that time wondering if I would even be able to continue studying dance in school because my parents never saw this as a practical route. These past few months of school have showed me all the many possibilities that dance and an education have to offer; while I still don't know exactly what the future entitles, I'm beyond a million times more excited for whatever lies ahead of me.

I truly believe that being surrounded by the wonderful staff and dancers in the amazing dance program at OSU have helped me with my most important change since being in school: a strengthened love for dance. Interacting with these new and inspiring people as well as just watching them do what they love with no regrets has helped me realize that anything is possible in dance. As scared as I still am of the future, I've realized that there's no point in being fearful of what "can" happen when there is much to enjoy in the present. The fact that I am a student at this great school, that I get to do what I love each and every day, that I feel loved from people back home and people from here, is more than enough reason for me to be happy with my life now and not constantly worry about the future.