I am currently on a gap year before I attend the University of Mississippi and so far it has been marvelous. During the month of September I continued my job at Vineyard Pilates & Bodywork and “helped” Annie Ollen (2015 MVYouth recipient) coach girls JV soccer (I think I did very little in the way of actually coaching). After that, I went down to northern Mississippi and have been gallivanting around with my grandmother ever since. My grandmother grew up and spent the majority of her life in the University of Mississippi’s college town and she has happily shown me all that this state has to offer. I’ve met influential Mississippi politicians, joined a Political Action Committee, gone to the royal ballet, met the former chancellor of the University, read a lot, attended Ole Miss athletics and music performances, helped my grandmother clean out her garage (no small feat let me tell you) and built a community I am excited to use during my time in college. Personally, taking a gap year has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has only reaffirmed my desire to attend this school and it has given me the opportunity to build relationships with people separate from the school community. It has also allowed me to recuperate from an incredibly draining senior year and ensure that I will be able to give my best once I actually get to college. I am incredibly grateful that MVYouth has allowed me to take this time off and the peace of mind scholarship affords cannot be overstated.