As I close the chapter of my undergraduate studies at American University, I also say farewell to a city truly like no other.
My first introduction to Washington, D.C. was not a school trip filled with monuments, museums, and obnoxious tour buses, but as a bright-eyed fanatic of horses. In third grade, my father surprised me early one Friday, in the middle of the school day. He picked me up, and told me we were going to the Washington International Horse Show. To this day, I’m not sure I have yet matched the amount of jubilance that leaped across my face.
Within a flash, we were in the heart of our nation’s capital. Truthfully, I have no recollection of our journey there. I’m certain we took a plane, but there is absolutely no memory of airports or ground transportation. Perhaps because I was simply in awe to find myself on the streets of D.C. watching horses and people in breeches exist, as if out of some fantasy. In feeling out of place, there is some bit of satisfaction. In being a part of the spectacle, you realize there is something of value in what you care about. Suddenly, amongst a sea of pedestrians, I was an expert, detailing the different things that seemed absolutely foreign to them.
In the years that spanned between, I was lucky to visit the District a couple more times. Horses steadily became a larger presence in my life, and my hopes peripherally remained set on making my way back, to one day get my own chance to compete in the Verizon Center (now Capital One Arena). For a brief moment, it seemed that was definitely not in my cards. I was growing older, and needed to make a decision whether I would stay in horses or go to college. Feeling a little burnt out, I opted for college. With almost the same fervor, I dove into the application process, applying to 30 schools. I somehow even wound up alone on a Greyhound in Iowa looking at schools, and ultimately trying to piece together what remained of my youth.
It was as I toured American University that I finally began to envision a real life in college, outside of the world that had raised me and shown me everything I knew about myself. Even after visiting New York and Chicago, something within me told me this was the right fit. Of course, it also helps to have a good scholarship! It’s campus, not directly in the thick of everything, was a quiet place to grow and learn. Yet, public transportation allowed for easy access to a lot of what the DMV had to offer.
I’ll spare you all the details of my freshman year, but I did finally find myself at the Washington International Horse Show. In a strange way, if we remain open minded, our dreams can always find a way to come true. Though it was only to warm up a pony, after a night out I clawed my way out of bed and made it downtown to ride at the crack of dawn.
The rest of my time in the District, though a blur, was a beautiful journey of self discovery, and a reclamation of pieces of my identity. There were nights at Town, corner celebrations with GoGo music blasting, and friendships forged near and far. From internships overlooking the Capitol, hours spent exploring museums, the joys of working with children in different public schools, and free passes to concerts thanks to WVAU, my school’s radio station, everyday seemed to be a new adventure.
She was my city of firsts: true independence, my first apartment, my first love, and, of course, heartbreak. I have been so lucky to call this place home, and a piece of me aches to leave. I find I am getting worse and worse at goodbyes (I must be growing soft lol). It just seems as though this can’t be the end of everything. I suppose that is the one thing I can be sure of, as I know the friendships made here, and even more so the memories, will continue on through the years. Beautifully, I’m proud to know D.C. will always be a part of me, and likely the part that seems to scream the loudest of all the great things that are to come. The drive, focus, and ambition that have been instilled in me these past few years will only grow in depth as I continue to understand what matters most to me. Thank you, D.C. for giving me a glimpse.