Anthony Guidotti This I believe 1/31/2012 LA101H Words: 496 With College Just Around the Riverbend Be my guest

as I show you a whole new world: the world of Disney. Only through Disney will you learn that if you seize the day, you can paint with all the colors of the wind. I believe you are never too old for a Disney movie. At every age, there is something to appreciate. I spent my senior week at Ocean City, New Jersey with my closest friends. Basking in the glory of graduation with so many bitter-sweet memories, we gathered together, about to scatter across the country. My friends at least had the benefit of one final summer of closure before facing college alone and starting their life anew. I was not as lucky. I departed for college the day after returning from my escape to the beach. I needed to be prepared but I wasnt. Angry with myself for agreeing to do summer, all the while petrified of reducing myself to a nobody, I convinced myself that no one would receive my presence with open arms. I was not ready to be a Penn State student. I was not ready to be part of your world. I learned a powerful message that first night. Instead of throwing a drunken bash, we stayed in and watched The Little Mermaid. The boys moaned at the suggestion from the girls. It had been ten years since most of us, including myself, had seen it. We thought it was too girly and too high school. After all, we had just graduated, did we not? Fortunately for this story, one of the guys adores Ariel as well as the movie giving the swing vote to the girls. The Little Mermaid it was. Awesome. To say I was unprepared for the emotions that followed the completion of the movie would be an understatement. It all made sense with Disney. Ariel almost decimated her entire

home, yet learned to forgive herself, much like I would have to forgive myself for embarking on my college adventure early. Most importantly, Ariel had sacrificed who she was to obtain that which she perceived would make her happy. In the end, she dismantled herself and those she loved by being someone else. Only after she let the truth come forward did her life fall into balance. She found her voice, forgave herself of her previous actions, and stayed true to who she was. I knew then that it may not happen overnight, but I too would be okay. I knew I would find my voice and gain harmony. We all did. In one week, my friends and I acquiesced the termination of our high school days. It was time to go the distance and take our place in the circle of life; time to push forward for the future. I have since come to terms with myself and found where I belong in college. I wont say Im in love, but I will say I am happy to be part of your world.