Last weekend, I was getting ready for my sorority’s semi-formal event, and I put on my homecoming dress from my senior year of high school. I was overwhelmed by the emotions I felt the last time I wore it. I was so unsure about my life and my next chapter as I applied to colleges with the hope of a new life ahead of me. Throughout high school, I could not wait to leave and get out of my hometown. I had the average high school experience—mean girls, idiotic guys, and the stress of juggling all of my classes and extracurriculars. There were good memories too, like my sports team, Friday night football games, and my childhood friends who will forever be part of my life. But even in those moments, I felt like I wasn’t living my perfect version of happiness, so I worked as hard as I could in high school in hopes of escaping my hometown and finding a place where I felt like I belonged.
As my college acceptance results flowed in, I could finally see myself finding my place in a new environment. Once I clicked “accept” to Cal Poly, I had so much hope and excitement for my next chapter, but I had no idea how much it would truly change my life. It wasn’t until the first philanthropy event for my sorority that I knew that I found somewhere where I belonged. I sat with a group of girls, we cracked a couple jokes, and my life was changed ever since we made our group chat that day in the great Vista Grande dining hall. That moment marked the beginning of my new life where I found my people, my home, and the sense of belonging I had always dreamed of.
Although I miss my family and will forever cherish my childhood friendships, this is different because I found these girls myself. I felt independent for the first time, because I did not have to rely on anyone but myself to shape my new life. Cal Poly didn’t just give me a college experience—it gave me confidence, a community, and a new sense of self. Leaving my hometown, I have learned that home is not the place you are raised and grow up in, it is the place you choose and the people you find when you get there.
There were still plenty of hard moments, like those first weeks in the dorms when I barely knew anyone besides my roommates and I would feel like crying every time they left, or when I had an everlasting “frat flu” from the Red Bricks dorms and I was convinced the only cure was a hug from my parents. Also when I got a little too caught up with a pledge, which looking back, was obviously a terrible idea. And of course, there was the night I fell off of a bar stool and face-planted, and immediately wished I was back in the comfort of my childhood room. Although these events may suck in the moment, they have shaped my college experience and made me into someone who is smarter, stronger, and far more grounded in who I am becoming. They’ve taught me resilience, have reminded me of the support I have back home, and have shown me that even the hardest days can turn into stories I’ll laugh about later. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade any of it, because each moment pushed me a little closer to the person I’m proud to be today.
Looking back now, the girl who wore that homecoming dress in high school who wanted to escape home so badly never could have imagined how amazing her life was about to be. A life surrounded by so much laughter, love, and friendships that feel more like family. This girl finally felt understood during the debriefs with newfound lifelong friendships, from the girls who turned tears into laughter, and through hours of sleep lost from late night talks with her roommates that felt more like sisters. Although it took a while, it was well worth waiting 18 years to have these girls in my life, and I have Cal Poly to thank for meeting all of them.