I was raised with the value of education as a responsibility to myself, to the communities I engage with and to our future. Yet when it was my time to choose higher education, I hesitated. It was lived experiences, beyond the classroom, that taught me how to implement the information I learned in school. How could I best study materials in academia while still challenging myself to fulfill my other responsibilities? Given a college education’s financial investment and opportunity cost, I wanted to choose intentionally.

I chose Warren Wilson College (WWC) in Swannanoa, Western North Carolina, trading the jagged Colorado Rocky Mountains for the Blue Ridge Mountains, worn by time. I was drawn to the work college’s community and opportunities, combining learned and lived experiences through thinking deeply, caring fiercely, and working hard.

I appreciate the sense of belonging I feel from understanding the influence that my contributions have on those around me and those to come. There is work to be done and I am learning both why and how to do it. I am grateful for the people and experiences at WWC that have taught me. It is now my responsibility to implement those values and that knowledge in the future, with all it will end up entailing