I am someone who came into college feeling extremely out of place. Throughout my life I have moved school settings two different times and struggled to keep friends. I also have dealt with severe social anxiety for most of my life. I went from being homeschooled until third grade to a charter school, where I experienced many instances of being bullied, to a public school in my hometown, where I never felt I really belonged. I applied to my college, Bloomsburg University, on a whim because I was desperate to find a school that I could afford and also enjoy attending. My first semester was difficult and I felt isolated. I was not a part of anything which made me feel like an outsider in my school, once again. My anxiety worsened and I applied to a university near my home town, intending to transfer and live at home the next semester. Despite my difficulty during the first semester, I had the determination and encouragement from my parents to stick it out for the rest of the year. I am so grateful that I stayed because during February of my spring semester my roommate and I attended our university's activities fair, where we were greeted by the welcoming faces of the women's rugby team. We put our names down on the sign up sheet, and the next week we attended our first practice and decided it was something that we wanted to commit to. I never expected this highly competitive and slightly intimidating sport to be a place where I fit in and overcame my anxiety. I can definitely say that were it not for the family that I have become a part of on the women's rugby team, I would be somewhere else and I would have given up on trying to become a piece of something bigger than myself. I have developed significant confidence in playing rugby with my team, which is full of some of the most loving, supportive people I have ever known. From team dinners, to practicing on the rugby field until the sun sets, to screaming in support of each other during games, there is endless love and sisterhood that makes us a family. I began last semester playing rugby 7's, where I learned to push my agility and strength beyond what I thought I was capable of. I was coached and supported by my team to build up the mental stamina that I have today. At the end of the season, I was nominated by my team for the "rookie queen" of the semester award, and I was so proud of myself for my hard work being recognized by these amazing women that I look up to in every way. This semester, I experienced my first 15's season and made amazing memories with my team. I have learned so much from them and will continue to learn the longer I play. I took on an executive board position and I am now the fundraiser chair for the team. As for future hopes for playing college rugby, my biggest wish is to find more girls like me who are in need of a community and help them find a sense of family in our rugby team. Becoming a part of the Bloomsburg women's rugby family has pushed me to overcome my mental battle with anxiety, become stronger as an individual, and learn responsibility from having an executive role. To me, my rugby family means a safe space to be yourself and grow as a person. It is full of life lessons and overcoming obstacles.