Reflective Essay: Why I Love Pen Penn State

It has been warm outside my whole life. I have only seen snow twice. Growing up in central Texas doesn’t mean I ride a horse to school, or dress exclusively in boots and a cowboy hat. It does, however entail long stifling days and only slightly cooler nights. I don’t know what cold really is. The lowest temperatures I’ve ever experienced were in the high 20’s. I’ve always longed for a change of scenery, desired the exposure to a different environment, both physically and socially. I got a taste of that a few years ago when I travelled to West Virginia to visit family where people are different and places actually have seasons. Not just sweltering hot in the summer and slightly cooler in the winter. I love the southern charm of my native Texas, but when that’s all you’ve ever known, you can’t help but feel a bit inexperienced.
Penn State would give me everything I look for in a school: big, lots of energy, prestigious, well rounded, and of course a higher latitude. My reasoning my sound silly, or even dumb, but I know I can be successful at any school I get accepted to. It’s Pennsylvania though, where I can grow as a person and have new experiences that will change who I am and give me the exposure I want to be a better person. I would add to the diversity at Penn State in that I’m different and can help others get a better understanding of how no one’s world is the same as another’s just as they would help