Leaving home was easy for me; it meant freedom, independence, and a new beginning as I went to a school nine hours away. As much as I loved my family and still do, in my mind, staying home would have been holding me back… at least, that was what I thought at first....

Have you ever heard of the law of equivalent exchange? It's a concept law from an anime and reads, "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent...

My freshman year was full of ups and downs. I feel like the large amount of downs that occurred were all more than worth it for how much they built me as a person and a student; however, this is the time to talk about all the ups. Freshman year was my first time...

I never felt I was good at anything in high school; I had no special talents or skills, no specific or niche interests, and all I had were some silly fast-food jobs. Downplaying my own accomplishments made me feel that my options were limited to whatever college would...