I’ve been told on one too many occasions that I have a spending problem.
Maybe it’s true. After all, there is no lack of green and white tailgating apparel in my closet, but also a healthy dose of maize and blue spiritwear. When I decide to throw on my U of M sweater, my family jokingly taunts me by saying that I am a traitor and comments on my indecisiveness in which school I should show my loyalty towards.
Amidst all the banter and laughter, I’m also no stranger to hearing the question, “why do you hold a university that you don’t even attend on such a high pedestal?”
I have always held a deep love for music, namely the vocal arts. My pantry is stocked with an abundance of Throat Coat, and my mother will go around telling anyone that inquires about my musical endeavors that although a paradox, I learned to sing before I could speak. Come time for high school, I felt that I should push myself further in showing the commitment I had for this passion. After a copious amount of research, my parents found that the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at U-M offered a program called The Michigan Youth Ensemble. I signed up for a time slot to audition for the women’s chorale and went to meet with the professor in charge of the ensemble in Ann Arbor.
I sang, danced, and formed a strong bond with all the girls in my chorus, and my professor. She was unlike any other vocal instructor that I had ever worked with, and the relationship I held with her was similar to that of a mother and daughter’s relationship. I wasn’t offered as many opportunities with my own vocal program at my high school, and the University of Michigan provided an opportunity for me. During the summer, I enrolled in immersion camps sponsored by the University, where I met others that had the same enthusiasm and zeal for singing that I did.
When it came time to apply for college, I didn’t hesitate in choosing MSU. It was the right fit for me in so many ways, and I felt that I would thrive well here as opposed to the other schools that I had been accepted to. I recognize that I am creating some of my fondest memories here, ones that I will look back on and reminisce about.
With this all being said, my loyalty resides in both institutions, as they have provided me with rich memories, opportunities, and experiences that I will always cherish. So whilst my heart remains divided on both universities, there is a meaningful history with both places that accompanies it.