bELONg

Today I went back and visited my alma mater, Elon University. It was the epitome of bittersweet.

This campus. This is where I grew up. Physically, I did most of my growing up in Wilmington. But here on this campus, during those 4 years…that’s when I really did my growing. I laughed and cried and learned more in my four years here than in the rest of my years combined. I took some steps forward and I took some steps back. I met some temporary friends and some forever friends and I’ve learned from both. This is where I learned to be more independent. I learned the importance of good work ethic; how to face my fears and anxieties; how to trust in something bigger than myself; how to love harder and deeper; how to grow from the hard times, and how to appreciate the good times. I learned that your friends become your family. You eat together, take naps together, play, fight, laugh, cry, and do absolutely everything and nothing together until you can’t quite remember how you ever lived your life without them in the first place. I learned that I’m capable of far more than I ever imagined. “This is where it all happened for the first time. The heartache and the happiness. All of it. Being here, feels like it was yesterday. I wake up sometimes and I miss it. But this is good. It’s all still right here.”

Carolina Dorm. Where I met some of my best friends in life. 

My BEAUTIFUL alma mater

Long Live Elon