For the past week or so, I have had to drive home knowing that I could open the mailbox and see a letter from Salem College sitting inside. I've looked for the letter for months, even when I knew it was too early for it to be there. For two weeks, I grabbed my bag and locked the car as if it were Pole Day at Indy, just to get to the mailbox. But on Friday, I guess I just knew it was time. I stopped the car on a dime, ripped the key out of the ignition, and left the door open. When I opened the mailbox, the Salem College logo was staring me in the face. I tore open the envelope--it's in pieces now--and a little card fell out. I left it on the ground and dropped the envelope, struggling to reach the first sentence of the letter.
"It is my special privilege..."
I should have known at the word "privilege," but I wouldn't let myself believe it yet.
"It is my special privilege to inform you that the Salem College Committee on Admissions has accepted you as a member of the first year class for fall 2013."
Did it say what I thought it said? My University of North Carolina Charlotte envelope had said "Congratulations! You've been accepted!" in huge, green letters on the outside. This sentence was vague by comparison. I read it and reread it, but couldn't think of a way I would have misconstrued the wording.
So, deciding that I had indeed been accepted to Salem College, I proceeded to run laps around the street, screaming. (No one called the police or even came outside to see if I was being kidnapped, so I hope I never actually need help.)
Salem is the college of my dreams. It is a small women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A year ago, I had no interest in any place that fit that description, but everything I thought I'd hate about it is what I love about it. Really, all that's missing is a kart track. But fear not! Charlotte is only an hour away. Virginia International Raceway, my second home, is an hour and a half up the road. There are stock cars at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday nights. And the owners of my home kart track are talking about opening another location, so I'm trying to convince them that Winston-Salem is the ideal spot.
There are myriad reasons that I will be saying yes to Salem College, but most of all, I believe I can do whatever I want there. I have all sorts of crazy ideas that haven't finished forming yet, but at Salem, no one would call them crazy. It seems to be the type of place where you could talk to anyone, and they would say, "What can I do to help you with that?" As an aspiring motorsports journalist, I need this outlook. I need to believe I am capable of anything and everything. Over the next four years, I will gain the education, experience, and attitude that will help me reach my dream of working in racing. I'll need a lot more than that, but it's a great place to start. I am more than ready to get going.
