2:00 a.m., September 7, 2005:  I laid in bed wide awake dreading for my alarm clock to ring that morning.  Five hours later I still remained awake, eyes wide open, my mind pondering what the day would bring as I got ready to walk into the doors of the school that I would hopefully flourish at over that next three years.  I’ll be honest, the second I hugged my mom good-bye I was no longer excited about the day’s offerings; rather, I was petrified.  I am, after all, one to believe everything I see in movies, and images of Lindsay Lohen’s first day of a real high school didn’t seem too unrealistic to my susceptible self.

That afternoon I came home and cried.  My sister looked at me with a befuddled expression, not knowing rather to comfort me or tell me to quit overreacting.  How could the school she loved so dearly make her younger sibling so upset?  Luckily, after the first week I found myself enjoying the school and now, as I look back on that day, I too am perplexed as to why I was in such distress. 

Coming to George Mason was most definitely one of the best decisions I could have made during my high-school career.  The Mustang community is unlike any other, not only are the people generally friendly, but they are supportive of you as a person.  The teachers and students seem to always welcome you with friendly smiles as you pass down the hall and not only encourage your school spirit but make you want to participate in what the school has to offer. 

Aside from the social aspect of the school, the education I was/am receiving was/is phenomenal.  All of my teachers were not only extremely skilled at what they were teaching, but knew how to help you improve your skills and leave you with the optimism to achieve your goals.  Take chemistry, for example, I walked into Ms. Wiseman’s class completely oblivious to the subject in general, and now (this is an accomplishment for someone who is defiantly not a math/science person) I can walk down the street all-knowing of what composes the air around me, not to mention why those molecules bond the way they do. (Hey, like I said, if you saw me at the beginning of the year, I was completely clueless.)

It has been an adventure. Finding my way through and my place in a new school was difficult, yet an amazing experience at the same time.  I am anticipating with pleasure the next two years, not only because I look forward to hearing Peter Davis’s morning announcements (face it, they are rather amusing) or the spring sports season (softball’s year is coming, I assure you) but because I now love George Mason.  Thus said, when I bid my mother farewell on the first day this upcoming September, I will not have that nervous tension; rather, I will be rushing out the door ready to embark on my junior year.