Mountain lions and deer and pandas, oh my!

It was Panda who brought me to Belmont.

No, not the Panda who's rockin' up at AT&T park.

Panda (Amanda) was my best friend at a certain all-girls Catholic high school in Sacramento, my hometown. We were both the sort of odd chick that any self-respecting normal person didn't want to hang with on a regular basis, and so of course we were perfect for one another.

Before Panda, I hadn't heard of Belmont. I didn't even know the Bay Area had a Peninsula. But Panda returned from a visit at Notre Dame de Namur University singing its praises, and I had to check it out for myself.

In November of 2005, my mom and I drove up the hill to the University and before I even met anyone I was already in awe. "Trees!" I cried out to my mom. And of course the deer, animals I was used to seeing at my Nana and Papa's outside of Auburn. When we left the Open House that day, I already knew I'd found my new home.

Fast forward through the admission process, auditions for the music program (I made a switch from biology to music, thankfully - more on that another time), scholarship interviews (I probably would have been stuck in Sacramento if I didn't get the Presidential Scholarship at NDNU), and my high school graduation. I settled into my new home in fall 2006, and that's truly what it was: when I went home to Sacramento each summer, I always longed to return to Belmont and the Bay Area. I'm convinced that even though I was born in Sacramento, I've always been a Bay Area girl at heart.

Just as Panda and I were a perfect match in respect to our artsy temperaments, so are the Bay Area and I a complement of personalities. I was told by a high school professor that I'm a California girl through and through, vibrant, passionate, loving and open to all the wonderful qualities that people have to offer. I remember that professor telling me I'd scare East Coasters with my penchant for hugging and my loud, colorful nature. I see those same traits reflected in the culture and people of the Bay Area, and especially San Francisco.

That was a huge plus of going to school in Belmont: I had the small school environment that I always treasured, and a small town feel, and I always had the opportunity, with the help of CalTrain and BART, to go to The City when I wanted and savor the variety and uniqueness of its people and neighborhoods.

I often went to The City with Panda and "The League," my friend group made up of the two of us as well as Nora (of Belmont) and Jaclyn (of Atherton).

I related in the speech I wrote for my Commencement (graduation) in 2010 that NDNU is all about community, and that my friendship with Panda was a springboard for all the relationships I have formed in Belmont (sadly, I wasn't actually able to deliver that speech at Commencement because I ended up being the runner-up; I'm not bitter at all about losing out to the student body president for that honor ...).

If Panda hadn't visited NDNU, I wouldn't have met the three voice teachers who have helped me grow over the past five years into the versatile and multi-talented singer I am today.

If Panda hadn't visited NDNU, I wouldn't have have met the many professors who expanded my mind and believed in me every step of the way.

If Panda hadn't visited NDNU, I wouldn't have gone on the school trip to Ashland, where I met my friend and master's student Kate, who has been my partner-in-crime, my karaoke comrade, and a mentor.

If Panda hadn't visited NDNU, I wouldn't be working full-time at NDNU now (and quite possibly wouldn't be employed at all) in a job that I love, with people who continue to excite me.

If Panda hadn't visited NDNU, I wouldn't have been introduced to my wonderful boyfriend Criss by the aforementioned Kate, and I wouldn't have him as my support system when my little quirks get the best of me.

And I wouldn't be living in Belmont, the happiest I've ever been in my life.