I am writing this first entry on a plane, which rather appropriate, seeing as I have spent most of my life as a transient. I am at my most comfortable while traveling, mostly due to the fact that I have been doing it so long. I am the modern nomad. I have lived in over seven states, eleven cities, and twenty homes. My parents aren’t in the military, as most people assume; they are just divorced and like to move. Actually, that’s what I am doing right now, making the transition from a week at Dad’s, in Wyoming, to Mom’s, in California. Though, my time with my mom is short as well, as a week from now I will be moving into Totem Park Residence. It seems I am always on the go.
Anyway, my name is Samantha, though I never go by it. Most people just call me Sam. I am eighteen years old, American, and just about to start my first year at UBC in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I am the fish out of water, and I am just about as lost as that entails. This point in my life means a lot to me, as it does to just about everyone. I have worked very hard to get to this point and it seems jumping through the many hurtles and loopholes to get to UBC has made realize just how much I want it. Granted, I’ve wanted UBC pretty bad, ever since I saw it.
I actually applied to UBC and was denied on account of a lack of “senior level academic courses.” I was enrolled in an independent study high school at the time (think home school with teachers) so I was able to take on a psychology class and finish it in time to get credit for it and resubmit my application. What this means is I read an entire, twenty-chaptered, college prep, psychology textbook, and took a year’s worth of tests in the span of two months. All the while shoving my way through half a year of Algebra 2, all so UBC would grant me admittance. But that still wasn’t enough, as all that work only got me into “Broader-Based Admissions” so I had to write an essay to convince UBC that I was worthy. I did, and they must have liked me, because I got my letter of acceptance the day I finished my last Algebra test, the day before my eighteenth birthday. I can honestly say that it was one of the best presents I had ever received.
So why did I care so much? What’s so great about UBC? I’ve encountered these questions countless times, and my answer is usually long, a listing of facts mixed in with genuine adoration of my soon-to-be school. UBC to me is a land of opportunity, a place where people like me, the misfits who never really felt like they belonged anywhere, find who they really are, make friends, and become a part of something amazing. The campus is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life, and I have seen a lot of places. The people are friendly and warm and welcoming and come from every place in the world. It is the first school, out of eleven, that I have ever really been proud to call my own, for once in my life I am ready to participate.
To be honest, two years ago, I hadn’t even heard of UBC. My mom had a conference up in Vancouver and decided to take me along. I remember it vividly, the night we arrived our hotel was downtown, and as we drove across the Granville Bridge I could see the glass buildings of downtown Vancouver, glowing against the black sky. It was in that moment I had an epiphany, for it was the first time I ever truly felt at home.
I have visited twice since that first trip, once with two of my best friends, and then again for the camp UBC Connect. By the end of it all I was so in love with the school I would do just about anything to call it my own.
Looking back now, as Utah drifts below me and the clouds break to a fresh August morning, I really am grateful to be where I am now. I don’t tell my parents enough how amazing they are, to be helping me so much with affording my education, and for letting me go, up to the great north, having enough faith in me to take care of myself. I think it is all their support, as well as that of my friends down in Orange County, and even this group, the First Year Blog Squad, that gives me that faith in myself. Because I think, if I didn’t have my mom buying me winter clothes, my dad giving me advice, the promises of my best friends to stay in touch, and the belief that my voice is an important enough one to share, I wouldn’t be in such an amazing place in my life, and for all of this and so much more, I am truly thankful.
UBC’s motto is “It’s Yours”, which is fitting, as UBC will soon be mine. Mine to take and shape into what I need out of the next four years, and I couldn’t be more excited.