On Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, my dream came true.
Everything I had worked for, all that I believed in, all the days of suffering and dreaming of the day when I’d finally be able to leave my hometown and live in a better community, among smarter, more ambitious people… It all came together that night, at about 5:40 PM.
So, what was the dream that came true? I got into an awesome college – the University of Pennsylvania (not to be confused with Penn State), one of the best schools in the country and the world. For years and years I’d been dreaming of the day when I’d get into an amazing school so I could pack my bags and leave my hometown forever (needless to say, I’ve hated growing up here, but I’ve learned a lot of important lessons along the way). That was the dream of my childhood – I can still remember my brother calling me “Harvard boy” when I was 7 years old, and, ever since then, I’ve viewed college as my way to escape the mundane,...