If your house was anything like mine growing up, your family had a certain college or university in which they always cheered for. This could be your parent’s former college or just a football team to root for on game day. In my case, that school was Longwood.
Growing up, all I ever heard about was Longwood. My father, an alumni of the university, would tell stories of his days there as though it were a magical place. He truly loved the school and small town feel which led us to visit on many occasions growing up.
Often times when people are devoted to a certain town or school, you hear them say, “_____ born, _____bred,” and in my case, I am “Lancer born, Lancer bred.” Being strongly devoted to the school, my father was the president of his business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, where he was a member of the Kappa Nu chapter. His bright idea was to name one of his children in a way that would always remind him of Longwood. That is what he did for me. My initials came from his chapter, Kira Nycole, so you can believe he had high hopes of my attending the school.
Once it came time for me to begin looking into where I would like to further my educational career, Longwood was top on my parent’s lists, but it was nowhere to be found on mine. I was adamant that I would find my own school where I would be able to succeed. The school to me would be a place where I would discover things on my own, not a place my father was acquainted with. I toured many schools, but none could compete with my father’s magical stories of Longwood, and so he finally talked me into driving up to visit the campus one last time. I was not sure what more there was to see, as I had already been before. After we spent the day on and around campus, there was no denying Longwood was where I would end up. I could fight it all I wanted, but I was raised by a Lancer and it is in my blood.
When application time arose, I applied to only one school; Longwood was the only place to be. I received my acceptance letter, and the joy on my father’s face said it all. I am the proud Legacy of a Lancer in a place where I am not only writing my own stories, but reliving some of the greatest moments of my father’s life.