So sometimes I am slightly cliche...

Yes, I realize the subtitle of this blog is beyond cheesy.

But what you might not realize is that it is even cheesier than you thought at first glance. Those words were spoken by Bill Clinton, the man who founded the school I will be attending next month, the Clinton School of Public Service where I will pursue a Masters in Public Service.

Although cheesy, it is fitting. If you would have asked me what the Clinton School was a year ago I would have shrugged, admitted that I have never heard of it and asked if you had confused his foundation with a school. Today, in exactly one month, I will move to a city I have only visited once to attend a school most have never heard of.

A year ago, I also did not know what I wanted out of the years to come. I was to graduate with a bachelors degree from a prestigious (and expensive) university and similar to everyone else in the Class of 2009 realized job hunting wasn't going to go as well as I had hoped. And honestly, returning to school in the fall did not feel like an option. I hadn't taken the LSAT or the GRE, and I was already knee deep in student loans. So a job or moving back home to Appleton, WI to mooch off my mother seemed to be my two options.

And then the Clinton School appeared on my radar. It was recommended to me by my long time supervisor who I admire and who understood where my head and goals were at. I lightly perused information regarding this new and unique school, and thought "I might as well". I crammed for the GRE, and after having to reschedule due to a typical Wisconsin snow storm, completed it on one of the last possible dates and sent my application out at the last moment.

As the weeks slowly crept by and the date of admittance notification got closer and closer, I did more research (I know, usually it is recommended to research the schools you apply for prior to application.), talked to more people who knew of or were connected to the school and grew more and more excited and anxious.

I got in. I jumped up and down. Searched and called every person I knew that would jump up and down with me. The next day, I packed my things and drove down to Little Rock to get a first hand feel of this school that was starting to sound too amazing to be true. My drive from St. Louis was rocky due to the explosion of one of my tires, but I made it to Little Rock with the help of a teenage rural Missourian who stopped to help me put my spare tire on and the local Wal-Mart who put a new tire on.

And it was too good to be true. The Clinton students and faculty made me feel at home, were more than willing to answer all of my questions and most importantly were so excited about the Clinton School. I called my mom the second night of my stay in Little Rock to tell her I was moving to Arkansas in August to attend a school that would ultimately change my life and provide me with the tools to create change in other's lives.

And there you have it, the quote is cheesy, yet fitting.