After searching and searching for the place I want to spend my next four years, none of the colleges that I was presented felt appealing. Everyone talked about how amazing their future college sounded, but none of them felt right to me. I’ve done tons of research on what programs they’ve all offered. Southeastern Louisiana University, Louisiana State University, and Northwestern State University of Louisiana were the only three colleges that offered my major  — Social Work — that I could see myself attending. With a little encouragement from my journalism teacher, Ms. Lyons, I finally decided that NSULA seemed like the best fit for me.

In January, I decided to tour NSULA in Natchitoches, La., after being accepted in early November. From the start, NSULA sounded like the best option for me. The only downside from going to NSULA is how far it is. The drive took about three hours, but it honestly wasn’t that bad. It was almost peaceful once I got through Baton Rouge’s traffic.

Once we got to the Student Services Center, we visited the Office of Recruiting and waited for our tour guide to arrive. On a TV screen they put everyone’s name that was touring and where they are from. Seeing my name pop up with the purple and orange colors behind it made this campus just feel like home in an instant. Once my tour guide arrived we were brought to another room and talked about financial aid, housing, campus activities, Freshman Connection, and a lot of other stuff. Because it was raining, he drove us around campus instead of doing a walking tour, but I didn’t mind. Seeing how beautiful the campus was made me feel at ease and safe.

We then talked to a professor in the Social Work department (what I want to major in), because, sadly, the department head was sick. She was really nice; she told me about the curriculum, interning, and future job opportunities. She also explained that you don’t have to know what you want to do in the field right now and that is perfectly okay, which was good to hear. I received more information on The Current Sauce, NSULA’s student-run newspaper, which I’m hoping to write for. After getting more information on my future academic life, we then toured more housing options, even though we already applied. The University Place was my favorite out of all the options presented to me because it was small and the most affordable, I could see myself making it a home.

We then circled back to the Student Services Center and the tour ended with my guide giving me a free shirt and some other souvenirs. My mom, sister, and I then ended our time at NSULA grabbing a bite at Steak ‘n Shake. We then departed for another three hours on the road.

This trip was much needed for me. I’ve been going to Riverside Academy for the past 12 years with the same people. Getting out of my comfort zone and seeing all these new opportunities felt amazing. I needed a new environment. Seeing what my future could look like in just a couple of months was very surreal.