When it became time to look at colleges, I wanted to get as far away from Atlanta as possible.
I wanted to experience something completely different than what I was used to. I wanted to learn about new cultures and make friends from places all over the world. My mother and I spent many spring breaks and summer vacations traveling across the country to tour different schools and to meet with admissions counselors.
When I ended up at Hampton University the summer before my senior year of high school for summer pre-college program, I never thought I would love it as much as I did.
Both of my parents went to Hampton University, along with my uncle and a ton of my cousins so I was completely uninterested in pre-college and thought, "I'm definitely not applying there."
Coming from a high school that was predominately black, an HBCU just didn't interest me.
I kept saying, "Why would I go from a school with all black people to another school with all black people?"
It just didn't make sense to me. Little did I know, Hampton is a melting pot within itself.
We have students from all over the world and from many different backgrounds. I've been able to meet people from Africa, the Caribbean, and many other countries.
Hampton embodies diversity in its own way and everyone is able to find their niche. You're bound to find someone interested in the same things as you.
Once I got to Hampton, I immediately felt like I was adopted into a huge family. During freshman orientation, I was assigned "big brothers" and "big sisters" on campus who helped me with everything from choosing the right professors to making Walmart runs.
The professors were also very welcoming and interested in your well-being.
In high school, you're told that your college professors won't care about you and that you will pretty much be on your own. I found that my professors were the complete opposite of that.
Many of them left great industry jobs and success just to come back and teach us, so they are just as much invested in our education. I've spent many late nights at school working on projects with professors sitting right next to me offering me assistance.
I am often asked, "What are you most proud of?"
I can honestly say going to Hampton is what makes me most proud, because I am part of something bigger than me. I'm part of a large extended family, where everyone is pushing the next person to succeed.
I never expected to go to Hampton, but now I'm here and I love it!
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