Coming Home To Me
To be candid, heading into my third semester of college, I carried a lot of apprehension. After the whirlwind of events during freshman year, I knew it couldn’t possibly get worse—but I’m not one to leave much to chance when it comes to my life. Sophomore year felt like uncharted territory, and while I was ready for a fresh start, a small part of me wondered if returning to campus might bring back old feelings or versions of myself I had left behind.
One fascinating thing about going to college far from home is how the places you return to start to feel like museums of your past self. When I went home to California last year, it was like stepping into an entirely different life—one where the challenges of the past year could be reframed as cryptic jokes with hometown friends. That distance gave me the clarity to see how much I’d grown and to realize I wasn’t the same person who had left.
Coming back to Texas, I worried that simply being on campus might pull me back into the struggles of freshman year. But, to my surprise, it didn’t. Not in the slightest. Instead, it was eye-opening to realize how much power we have to reshape our environments through the lens of our own growth.
This semester taught me that no place, memory, or situation is permanently tainted unless we allow it to be. Our surroundings aren’t static—they’re shaped by what we bring to them. When our minds stay open and willing to see beyond the surface, there’s always room for newness, positivity, and opportunity.
For the first time, I don’t feel the need to escape. I come home each day to an apartment that feels like me—filled with laughter, peace, and love. It’s become a sanctuary where impromptu paint nights, kitchen dance parties, and long conversations with friends have made it a true home.
And home extends far beyond the walls of my apartment. My Jeep and I have traveled to seven states this semester—California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Each trip has been about prioritizing myself, embracing balance, exploration, and joy. Okay, fine, yes, there was a last-minute bar hop from Dallas to the Oklahoma casinos.
Visiting friends in their hometowns, watching them light up in the places they grew up, has also been a true gift of the semester. I’ve realized that home isn’t a single place or person—it’s wherever we create love, peace, and connection.
So what can this teach us? We find home by starting with ourselves—not the structures outside of us, but the very foundation we build from within. Only when we learn to treat our bodies as homes for our souls can we truly build spaces that reflect our highest selves. It’s in this process of becoming at home within ourselves that we find the people, places, and moments that help us and our shelters stand tall, rooted in who we are.
If there’s one thing I’ll take from this semester, it’s the power of perspective. Growth isn’t linear, and sometimes it feels slow, but when we pause to reflect, the progress becomes undeniable. Returning to a place I once associated with challenges only to find joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of myself is proof that we’re always capable of change.
Looking back on this year, I can finally say I am home. Home isn’t a place; it’s a state of being. It’s something we carry, create, and nurture, wherever life takes us.