On May 22nd, 2023, I loaded up my SUV with everything I owned (at the time) and my cat, and moved to Athens. If you know me, chances are you know my cats. From having a tattoo of one, and a gazillion pictures on my instagram, my cats make me, me.

In my freshman year of college I would gain not just knowledge, but more stuff, and more cats. Leaving my hometown with less than 2,000 people to start brand new in Athens was terrifying. Everything I thought I knew about relationships, school, and general “adult” things was flipped upside down.

Throughout my freshman year, I joined a sorority and left it, joined another sorority and stayed, changed my major twice, and acquired a second cat. With everything changing, my normalcy was found in my feline friends. While my world was moving 1,000 miles per hour, there were two little black fur balls waiting on me every day, because I made their worlds spin.

Some would consider two black cats bad luck. To me, they make me the luckiest girl in the world. Banjo and Salem love the college girl life, and canned tuna.

On August 14th 2024, I kissed my cats goodbye and walked out my door to begin again (again) for my second year in Athens, and my second year of discovering what makes my world spin.