They say the person we become is a sum of our surroundings. From our family to geography, it defines who we are. I've been fortunate enough to live in the Eastern Panhandle and Berkley County, spent a few years out of the state, only to come back home to where my parents grew up, in the Kanawha Valley. I've been privileged enough to live in different corners of this state. Throughout my life, whether I lived within its borders or out, West Virginia has always influenced the person I've become. Both my parents were born and raised here and are proudly passionate to say so. I learned this during the years we lived in Maryland. My father would say, "I'm proud to be a West Virginian". A state whose people are hard-working, persistent, and ever-humble. People who know what small town and community can still mean, but people who also have had their worlds shattered at times. From the wealth and aftermath brought forth by the coal industry to an epidemic that no one could prepare for, a West Virginian knows someone who has dealt with these tragedies. I have family that have worked in occupations that OSHA was invented to monitor. I also have family directly impacted by the lost war on drugs. Crippling addiction that has cost relatives money, relationships, and then their own life. I wish that wasn't true and I wish it wasn't as common as it's become, but I believe in the people of West Virginia to rise beyond it. What does this mean to me now that I'm beginning my life as an adult? I think it begins with me continuing to instill the pride of being from this great state and how I can help in the future. I'm not a builder. I'm not an engineer. I'm not a doctor. I don't believe a profession defines who can help make a change. I want to learn how to be a conduit for the positive. I want to write, I want to learn, and I want to be part of the greatest generation of West Virginians. The ones that don't give up on the state and want to find a way to band together and make changes for the future. I'm proud to go to high school in West Virginia and even more proud to attend college at Marshall University. Where I'll continue my education in communications, journalism, and mass media studies. When, in 4 years from now, I'll proudly graduate and be the first person in my family to do so. I'm hoping I will be able to put my roots down here. Walking my path as a West Virginian. However, the stark reality of having to move once again beyond the state's borders is always hovering. The West Virginia I know that has shaped me is imperfect like I am, but I can see beauty in it. Nothing worth having comes easy. There will always be opportunities that call from afar, but they'll never be home. Whether I stay with my West Virginia roots or move beyond to become an ambassador for my home state to anyone who will listen, I'm proud to be from West, by God, Virginia.