I spent my summer counting down every minute, as if August 19th just could not come soon enough. My days were filled with obsessing over Scarlet Dance Line, my future sisters, my captains, Paige Burns (who later became my “Big”!), and of course my school. It seemed like I would say, “I can’t wait to leave”, a million times a day. I was so set on the idea and excitement of moving to the entertainment capital of the world, but everytime I would tell someone about it I seemed to get the same agitating responses: “Wow, get ready for the heat”, “Don’t party too hard”, and “yikes, stay safe”. I did not understand why people weren’t as excited as I was, or why they could not say something positive like, “what a fabulous opportunity!”. Although, looking back now I am thankful because I knew I would prove them wrong. Afterall, I have never let another person’s opinion inflict my own, why would I start now?

An intelligent role model in my life told me while trying to make my college decision, “this is the one time in your life where you can move anywhere in the world with nothing and no one besides yourself holding you back, only you can determine the person you aspire to become”. I knew that I wanted to challenge myself and move to a place that was polar opposite of where I am from, where I did not know a single person, and where I could discover myself and become the person God planned for me to be. As much as I would love to say the move to a new state and adjusting to a major city was all sunshine and rainbows, I want to be completely honest and present the situation exactly how it went. With that being said, I absolutely had the most optimistic attitude while moving and have been staying positive and trusting the process.

When I arrived in Vegas behind my smile were so many nerves I had never felt before. I was beyond anxious to meet my team and head to Dance Camp. I had spent all summer talking to Paige from Scarlet Dance Line and was counting down the minutes until I could finally thank her in person for all her advice. As I got to my dorm I received a text from one of my Scarlet Sisters I had never talked to, Jessica. Of course I had been following her on instagram and was so excited to meet her, but I was under the false idea that my team would hardly know who I was as I had not been to the live auditions or team bonding events. Her sweet simple text welcoming me to Vegas made me feel right at home and calmed all my nerves. My first week flew by, it was full of dance and lots of nerves. Throughout the week I learned that not only did the girls care about me, but they would actually become the closest thing I have to family in Las Vegas. They made sure I had a safe form of transportation to and from practice, checked in on me, and answered all of my ridiculous questions. I soon realized, although I may not be one of the “best” dancers on the team, my presence mattered, and being part of Scarlet gave me purpose and passion.

While I had already been living on campus for Dance Camp, it was finally time for other students to move in. I will admit going from coming home to maybe twenty students living in my dorm complex, to coming home one day to 500 new faces was a big adjustment and a bit overwhelming. There was a voice in my head saying “where do I start?” with making friends. The following day I came home from camp and attended an event for residents called, “Speed Friending”, yes like speed dating but with friends. I immediately connected with people and knew I could do this. I decided to sign up for a free trip for residents to the Esports Arena. If you know me personally, you probably are laughing in your head as I know nothing about video games and assumed this was like a soccer arena. Little did I know attending this event alone would change my entire college experience. As I arrived to the bus I immediately began speaking to a group that appeared to be friends and could tell almost instantly that they would become my “people”. I clicked right away with them and began sharing laughs and smiles. As cliché as it is to say, the rest was history. These people are the most kind and loving individuals I have ever met. They call just to check in and make sure everyone is doing okay, knock on your door to invite you to every meal, walk you back from the library when it is late, and have been cheering me on at dance and showing me endless support. I mean who knew there are people in the world who will pick you up from dance and drive you around to find the perfect game day spray tan, or wake up at five in the morning to take you to the airport?

One of the biggest challenges I have encountered is the dreaded experience of not having a car or the ability to take random trips to Target. Going from being a daily Bay Area commuter to becoming the friend who has to text everyone the dreaded, “by any chance can you drive me” has been quite the experience. Though I can now say I am incredibly thankful I do not have a car because there is such a major positive side. Although I know it may be annoying to the people who have to constantly pick me up, it has allowed me to become closer and bond with friends. I treasure every moment when one of my Scarlet Sisters drives me home. Somehow they always manage to tell me something that sticks with me throughout the day and always put a smile on my face.  I truly look up to each and every one of them, so any moment I can spend listening to them give me advice makes me so beyond happy. Also, why have a car when you can “skrt skrt” across campus on your hot pink scooter!

Now getting back to addressing the reality of the responses I received when I told people I would be attending UNLV. Of course there are parties, but in actuality what college does not have partying occur? It is part of the experience and just because there is partying happening does not mean I have to take part in any way, shape, or form. I have never been into partying, nothing has changed since I have moved. Instead my friends and I enjoy checking out the skyline views on campus at night, or having some pretty awesome movie nights with lots of cookies and even more laughs. My suites version of partying consists of lots of Christmas or High School Musical Music and karaoke of course. Safety is absolutely a big concern and one thing I definitely don’t take lightly, but UNLV is in no way “less safe” than any other college in a major tourist city. I have adjusted to taking safety more seriously and using the buddy system and Rebel Safe App when walking around at night. Also this has been an incredible learning opportunity on how to go from living in a suburban city where I talk to every person I see at the grocery store, to living in a major metropolitan area. Now for the heat, well at least it has taught me to appreciate Tracy, my hometown weather. I also definitely now drink plenty of water! The weather may be rough, but hey who doesn’t love getting a tan while walking to your classes, and the fact that our dorms can get as cold as 50 degrees? Facing challenges is all part of trusting the process and learning from the experience. Finding fabulous takes time, but with a positive attitude and optimistic people around you, anything is possible!

Love Always,

Malorie