By Dana Poore
I will go ahead and address the elephant in the room (and no, I am not referring to the elephant that lives across the state). I did not attend Auburn. I am from Mississippi, so I went to Mississippi State. But I still love Auburn. Having not attended Auburn, my “Why” in Why I Love Auburn is a little different than most.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved Auburn. I grew up in an Auburn Family, so for me Auburn was chosen at birth. But to be honest, my love for Auburn truly matured and became my own the summer before my senior year of high school as I began to try and finalize my college path. That summer, before attending a Junior War Eagle Day, I knew my college decision would come down to Auburn and Mississippi State. Honestly the thought of choosing between the two made me anxious and afraid that I would make the wrong decision. That was until I attended the Junior War Eagle Day at Auburn where they presented on home and the presenter said something that has stuck with me since that day almost 9 years ago. The presenter spoke on the fact that when you choose what university to attend, you need to choose the university that feels most like home, as the university you attend will be your home for 90% of the time for at least the next four years. While this is a true and important statement, what left a lasting impact was when the presenter said that wherever I chose to attend school had to feel like home whether that was Auburn or another university. For me, this was the first time a university truly wanted what was best for me even if I ended up choosing to attend another university. While I did end up attending another university, my love for Auburn never ended. So, after graduating knowing I wanted to work in college admissions to help future students find their college home, I knew I had to work at a university that I loved that so many years before had made me feel that they truly wanted what was best for me. I wanted the opportunity to show students the same love Auburn had shown me so many years before, as they make one of the biggest decisions of their life up to that point.
Getting the opportunity to be an Admissions Advisor at Auburn has been a dream come true and given me the opportunity to make Auburn my home. From working with students as they are making their college decisions, to attending baseball games at Plainsman Park, and getting many Vanilla Lemonades from Toomer’s, I still have moments of awe that I get to make my home in Auburn. I have loved Auburn for as long as I can remember, but I will never forget when Auburn loved me enough to let me choose my own path. And that is Why I Love Auburn.