From Spanish Beverly Hills to the Small Town Charm of Chapel Hill

It seems like yesterday that i was sitting in Professor Valiente's Principles of Marketing class, waiting for the hour marker to reach the five, and then it happened. Five o'clock came and with that my future would be changed forever. Boredom was written all over my face, then I hit the mouse right-click as hard as I could to see if I made the cut, and seconds later I had the biggest grin that extended from the tip of my nose to the forest of bushy, black silk that covered my chin. I made my decision fast and decided that I would take one of the biggest gambles of my life and give up my already developed life in order to live out my dream. As a senior in high school, I did not have the courage nor did I have the credentials needed to get into the University of North Carolina, so I did not even bother sending in an application. I chose to continue my education at another university and ended up at the University of Miami in the end. 

Now, I've been here, living out my dream for only a week and it's everything and more that I visioned for the past seven years of my life. Carolina has always been the place for me, it just took me longer than others to get here, but all that matters is that I'm finally here and I can't wait to cherish every second of every day that I have in this powdered blue paradise. As of now, I'm really content with the decisions that I made within the past year. Truly, I do feel that I did hit the ground running and my adaptation to the new and highly different environment is going very smooth. At orientation, the President of SGA said something very important, the words as I remember them were "You just got to the jump on train, because there is a spot for everyone" and I have to agree that I did jump onboard and was not overly intimidated by the large campus and being the new fish in a big pond. Within just a short amount of time, I've met many different individuals and delved into a variety of student clubs and organizations. 

I've really lucked out, the people are all so nice and I could not be happier with my living arrangements and roommates. I would not change them for the world. Although it might be a bit of walk from classes and the engine of campus, it is very comfortable and homely. My roommates are the nicest individuals and I truly think it is a treat to share my experience with individuals from all walks of life and parts of the world. One of my roommates is from North Carolina and he is the nicest kid in the world, really down to earth and has his head on his shoulders with his priorities in the right order. And then I have my new friend from Shenzhen, China. This experience is going to be like no other and I'm not too sure where our third roommate is, but I hope he does show up, but if he does not, a movie theater, padded room, or game room with a beer pong table will be in the works. 

One of the first places I turned to after I was all settled in my new apartment was the University of North Carolina's Hillel. I've always been a fan of Hillel and UNC has even increased my level of love and appreciation for such an organization. On my second day here, I made my way over to Hillel and I truly felt like I was in a home away from. The structure is so inviting and warm with it's old southern charm. I was welcomed warm heartedly by everyone and invited to even stay for the Hillel Executive Board meeting. I was taken aback when I heard that I could stay and learn the logistics and operations of Hillel. I must've spent at least four to five hours at Hillel, getting to know each and everyone on the board and committees. I knew that I was in my element and I hope to contribute some of my talents and expertise to the already thriving organization here at UNC, during my next two years here.

The second place that I reached out to was the Omega Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi. At the University of Miami, I was one of the founding fathers and a full-fledge brother of the Lambda Deuteron colony. For weeks, I was deliberating about leaving my brothers and all that we had started to build, but I decided that I could not let one variable defer me from living out my dream and attaining pure happiness. I was having second thoughts still, wondering if I would be able to find another group of individuals that were as dedicated and special as my brothers. Coming into UNC, I did not know what to expect from my future brothers. However, I could not be any happier. The Omega Chapter welcomed me into their chapter with no questions asked and made me feel apart of their brotherhood. The Omega chapter is filled with a diverse groups of individuals and I hope to build strong bonds with each and everyone of my brothers at UNC. Greek life has always been a huge part of my college experience and I will continue to dedicate my time, brotherly love and talents to Alpha Epsilon Pi. 

Being here for only about seven days, I can feel confident in saying that I am glad that I made the switch. The transition is running at a steady and smooth rate. However, I cannot say that there will not be days in the coming weeks when I wonder why I made my life more complicated and put so many friendships on so-called "hold". But I will not let my emotions defer me from attaining what I've set out to do here at Carolina, which is to have the best two years of my adolescence portion of my life. With that being said, I'm proud to finally be able to call myself a TarHeel.