The last four years of my life, I’ve spent the majority of my time at Lakewood High School. In this time, I’ve grown in endless ways and found a motivation inside of me that I didn’t know was there. I’ve learned, I’ve lost, I’ve won a few and ultimately figured it out for the most part–but what now?

In the fall, I’ll be attending Hawai’i Pacific University to study Marine Biology. Hawai’i Pacific University is located on the island of O’ahu and houses a field research vessel that will help me complete my major. The class sizes, however, are the same size (if not smaller) than high school. Will college be any different? I wonder often about the school and if I’ll like it, because I have not gone to visit, but I figured I’ll dive head first. Life is not fun or fulfilling without a little (or a lot) of risk and I’m taking a big leap into my future. The small class sizes make every class an intensive, helping students that need hands-on experience to get a rich education with a personal approach.

Lakewood will always be home, but I’m feeling more than ready to leave. My mom is moving away, so only my brother will be left in Cleveland–but I’m not sad; I’m prepared for this new chapter of my life.

HPU is so far away from where I grew up and yet, they are so culturally diverse–it reminds me a lot of Lakewood. So, even though these next four years will be spent on an island, the people I will meet will remind me of home.