By Tori Lawhorn,  Newsome High

Conversation with my mom before a trip this summer to Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., one of the last places I thought I’d want to spend four years of my life:

Me: “I am NOT going to Indiana!”
Mom: “Just give it a chance!”
Me: “No way!”
Mom: “Well, I’ve already scheduled a tour, so you’re going!”
Me: “I don’t want to be a Hoagy!”
Mom: “A what?!”
Me: “A Hoagy!”
Mom: “It’s a HOOSIER!”
Me: “Oh … But still!”

My Midwest aversion holding no weight, my parents and I were off to Bloomington. I was feeling less than positive when I got to the campus.

My tour started with a brief presentation about the college and what it has to offer. Soon after, the walking tour commenced. Honestly, the first thing I noticed was the plethora of limestone buildings. Newly bloomed flowers and freshly cut grass everywhere you looked complemented all that limestone; it certainly wasn’t lacking in the aesthetic department.

After the walking tour, I went to my scheduled appointment with the recruitment director of the School of Journalism, Kathleen Lee. She told me about all of the benefits of being an IU journalism student. Hands-on experience with professors, award-winning student publications to work for and gain experience, famous guest speakers and travel-abroad programs were just a few of the draws she mentioned.

As I left IU, I pondered the day’s experience. Let’s see. I want to study journalism, and the J school has been around for 100 years; its reputation is solid. I liked the people I talked with. The campus is really pretty. Even if I’m still not sure what a Hoosier is, now I can tell anyone who asks that famous jazz musician Hoagy Carmichael was born and composed some of his best work in Bloomington.
Also contributing to IU’s ascension on my list of college choices: My parents are alumni, and I have relatives nearby, so I wouldn’t be completely alone during the school year.

Surprise, surprise: I actually felt at home there. I had nothing negative to say about it whatsoever. I believe I have found a place with the potential to become my new home. I want to be a Hoosier. I want to be a Hoagy.

And I can be! I just got my acceptance letter.