By JADE CAMPBELL
Editorial Editor
NWOSU is having Family day this week, and everyone who is able should invite some of the most important people in their lives to the event.
In my first year of college, I did not invite my family to this event and that is something that I regret.
My family has been supportive of my passions from the moment I claimed in kindergarten that I was going to be an astronaut.
There was never a doubt in my mind that they wouldn’t be proud of me no matter what I did – as long as I was happy and mildly successful of course.
Even when I hit them with the news that I was going to be a music major during my senior year of high school, they still seemed overjoyed on my behalf despite being worried about logistics.
With all that support, it would only be obvious for me to invite them to an event to celebrate how important they are to me, but I did not. I did not deem it worth the time and effort of them driving down just to do some silly little events and see me.
Afterward, I realized that I was wrong. It would have been a wonderful time to see everyone again and get to show them what I am doing.
More specifically, I did not realize that a long car ride on their part would have been worth it just to see them support me and have a good time with them.
They saw me grow into adulthood and become my own person. They have been there through my ups and downs and have helped me in some critical moments in my life.
Even though I didn’t invite my family, I encourage others to invite theirs.
I know that not all families can be as supportive as mine is, but I’m sure that at least someone in most people’s close friends and family are excited about seeing their loved one in college following their ambitions.
It doesn’t have to be your mom, or even your dad, but having someone by your side is important. For me, it was my mom who stood by my side and was always in my corner, but for you it can be a number of different people.
I know for certain that I would not be here without the encouragement and support of my family. They have been with me every step of the way.
My mom sparked my love for music, encouraged me to join band and drove me to obscenely early practices for band on all days of the week ending with “y.” Now I am at college aiming to fulfill my dreams of being a director of a music program that all started with my mom’s unending support.
If my mom has done this much for me, why would I not invite her to these events? Freshman year me had doubts, but you shouldn’t.
If there is someone in your life like my mom was in mine, then I encourage you to call them up, invite them to family day and have a great time.
Further than just family day, I would love to encourage students to not forget where they came from while they are pursuing higher education.
In high school, I thought that college was going to be the place where I would reinvent myself and become a whole new person. I also thought it would be a place where I could get away from my family and see what else is out in the world.
I was both right and wrong. Northwestern can be a place for reinvention, but I am still the same me that I was back in high school. I just got older.
The urge to seperate myself from my family in order to grow as a person was really strong, and while it was necessary, I still love my family .
I hope to visit them more this year than I did last year. I live closer to my family than a lot of students here at Northwestern and I am grateful for that.
I hope that even if you live farther away from your family than I do, that you don’t forget that they exist. Invite them to Family Day, ask them if they want to catch a movie some weekend or send a quick text every once in a while.
I hope that you all take full advantage of the family day events and opportunities that our university provides, and I can’t wait to see all of the wonderful people who have helped get you to this spot in your life.