When I was born and raised in Missouri, I had a hard time imagining going anywhere outside of my home state. Like many people, I had dreams of moving to the east or west coast but I had no way to achieve my ambitions. However, things were about to change. I moved to Anaheim, California in 2016, and this move taught me two important lessons. First of all, I learned that I can accomplish things that I never thought possible, and secondly, that the world is much smaller than it might seem.
I started studying political science, economics and business at local community colleges in southern California while I worked at a pizzeria. I made myself at home very quickly by finding the best art museums (like the Hammer Museum at University of California, Los Angeles), getting to know the streets of southern California (never use the 405 between the hours of 3pm - 7pm), and falling in love with the many beautiful beaches that were around me (my personal favorites are Santa Monica for its makeshift carnival rides and Crystal Cove for an actually relaxing time). Pizza, homework and very bad traffic made up most of my life back then. During this time, I was also blessed with a peer mentor who made me understand what my values were and how to incorporate these into my future.
