It was Lauren's first day at Northern Michigan University and she was very excited, but also a little nervous. She had moved around her whole life and wasn't sure if she was ready to take on this new adventure without her family.

Knowing how strong and independent Lauren is, her parents reassured her and told her how everything would turn out alright.

Lauren's parents helped her settle in to her new dorm room and then kissed her goodbye.

She teared up a little bit, but held it back as best as she could. Lauren knew her new roommate Analise would be arriving in just a few hours.

After a few hours of getting to know one another Lauren and Analise set off on their first adventure.

The place they decided to go to first was Black Rocks!

The girls arrived after a short drive and walked to the top of the tall rocks. After a little while of standing around it was their turn to jump into the icy waters!

It was a scary jump and the girls screamed as loud as they could, but both had the time of their life!

Weeks went on and Lauren had to deal with little things on her own like sitting alone at lunch and dinner. It made her a little uncomfortable but as time went on she became more and more independent!

Not only did Lauren become more independent, but she also learned a lot about different things such as friendships and history in her classes.

One of her favorite classes was medievalism, where she got to act out a lot of funny scenes and get to act goofy with the new friends she made.

Overtime Lauren made new friends and lost some old ones. Unlike high school, people aren't forced to always be around each other and it's easier to get out of unwanted friendships.

A few times Lauren found herself involved with people who weren't so good for her. She learned a lot about who she was from these experiences and it helped her grow into a better more confident person!