I was 10 years old when Phillip Phillips won Season 11 of “American Idol.”

My mom and I watched every season together. Since I grew up listening to country music, I was rooting for Phillip to win the whole time.

Not long after he won, he released the song “Home.” At this time, my best friends were my stuffed animals, Lamby and Boo. One of my greatest memories with them was making friendship bracelets for us and playing that song on the iPod Nano that I was bribed to get if I didn’t cry at my cousin’s wedding (I was a weird kid).

Over time, especially in the last four years, I’ve called a lot of places home. And each time, that song has found a new meaning.

Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania

My first home was the only one I knew for most of my life — a small cul-de-sac in Gilbertsville. It’s a town in Montgomery County you’ve probably never heard of, so I usually just say I’m from “outside of Philly” or Pottstown.

It was the best place to grow up. I got to experience all the seasons, play outside with neighbors, and meet my two best friends since elementary school, Renee and Emily, who I know will be with me forever.

Life in Gilbertsville was anything but quiet. I danced for 13 years, played piano for a while, tried tumbling, played lots of field hockey, and even gave lacrosse a shot. But what I always loved most was creating.

In first grade, I started making PowerPoints on my mom’s desktop for fun. When my dad bought a GoPro, I made video edits constantly. I then picked up his old Sony DSLR around age 12 and never put it down. Thanks, Dad, for letting me live out my dream. I made video edits all the time, posting them to Instagram when the video feature first came out, and even made an Instagram for my photography when I was 13, and I am still using the same account to this day.

In high school, I joined BASH TV News and fell in love with visual storytelling. I knew I wanted to study communications, and I knew I loved sports, especially when the Eagles won the Super Bowl.

No one in my family had gone to Penn State, but something about it just felt right after winning “Most School Spirited” in junior high. I applied with full intentions of attending Altoona if I didn’t get into University Park. I ended up getting in, and I committed before I even visited. When I finally stepped foot on campus, I was hooked.

Over the next four years, I’d move to four new homes in State College, and even one across the country. Each home helped shape who I am.

Tener Hall

When I left for my freshman year at Penn State, it didn’t feel like I was leaving home. It felt like I was stepping into a new one.

I lived on the first floor of Tener Hall but spent most of my time on the third, where I met people who filled my days with laughter and late-night conversations. One of my oldest and closest friends from home, Angie, lived in Geary Hall. We quickly became friends with everyone on their floor. That group became some of my closest friends.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted to get involved. I applied to Onward State right away. Keeley Lamm and I had Spanish class together, and I still remember our first conversation. We were both communications majors, hoping to join the blog. We ended up getting in, and that was just the start.

Not long after, Sam Brungo invited me to join Podward State, and I immediately fell in love with it. That podcast has introduced me to some of my best friends. Thank you, Charlie and Keeley, for being the best co-hosts I could have ever asked for.

Immediately, both Onward State and Podward State felt like home, too.

By the end of freshman year, I didn’t want to leave. I wasn’t ready to go back to Gilbertsville. I spent the entire summer counting down the days until I could return “home.”

The Yards

Sophomore year, my four roommates and I were a little late signing a lease, so we ended up living at The Yards, which is a bit of a drive from downtown. It wasn’t the most convenient spot, but it was still our home.

That year had its bumps and bruises, but I learned and grew from them. Angie, Clare, Meghan, Maura, and I supported each other through everything. No matter what was going on, I could always count on them to make the apartment feel warm, safe, and full of laughter.

This was the year I really started to grow as a photographer. I took some amazing classes for my film production major, shot a football game, and was even chosen to shoot Penn State men’s basketball in the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness was a turning point. As we packed into Keeley’s car for the 13-hour drive to Des Moines, I was nervous and unsure of myself. But during the tournament, I met incredible photographers who helped me learn and grow. This experience gave me the confidence to believe that sports photography would be my future career.

This was the trip that started Onward State’s love for Phillip Phillips. We blasted his music on the drive to and from Iowa. Not to mention, this was an all-time Onward State road trip. Some of the funniest memories of my life came from Iowa.

When the summer came, I went back to Gilbertsville. But this time, I found myself counting down the days until I could return to my other home, Happy Valley.

Sparks Street

Junior year, Angie and I moved into a quiet apartment just the two of us, tucked on the west side of town. We didn’t have big groups or sororities, just each other – and that was enough.

I turned 21 in September, and met so many new friends by being able to go to the bars earlier than most.

That year, I got incredibly close to my best friend, Ryan. She’s a year older, and we knew our time together was limited, so we made the most of it. Ryan always has my back, gives great advice, and tells me the truth even when I don’t want to hear it. I’m so thankful to Penn State for giving me a home inside of a person.

Junior year also brought me the Onward State football beat. Mikey, Joe, Nolan, CJ, and I ventured all over the Midwest in CJ’s car. These memories I will never forget, for multiple reasons. Imagine being stuck in a car for 10+ hours and a sticky, moldy Motel 6 with four boys. Not the most ideal, but we made it work. Those boys brought me laughter and some of the most memorable conversations of my life.

That year, my photography reached a new level. I applied to internships, hoping one of them would become my next step, and maybe my next home.

One finally took a chance on me.

Los Angeles, California

That summer, I found a new home I never expected, thousands of miles from State College, in a city I had never been to before.

The NFL accepted me into its summer internship program in the photography department. Even now, it doesn’t feel real, but I’m so grateful they did.

For three months, I lived alone in a new city. I had never been to the West Coast before, but I didn’t feel alone for long. The people at the NFL office welcomed me with open arms.

I met a new best friend, Grace, who was the finance intern. Instantly, it felt like we were separated at birth — that’s how similar we are. We immediately clicked, as well as the other interns.

Through my internship, I took the Rams player portraits, went to NFL training camps, traveled to Ohio for the Hall of Fame, shot two preseason games in SoFi Stadium, and photographed players and celebrities. I was growing with every assignment.

I had so much fun outside of work. We went out on weekends, sang karaoke, spent the Fourth of July in Huntington Beach, went to concerts, caught Dodgers games (one where the Phillies won), and explored the LA bar scene. On my last day, the photo team surprised me with a trip to Disneyland.

Ben, Ryan, Kate, Brooke, Edgar, Davis, Shilah, Maddie, and everyone else in the office — thank you for giving me a summer I’ll never forget.

By the end of it all, I made a video on my digital camera set to the song “Home.” The song already meant so much to me, but now I had a new place and new people to tie it to.

I wasn’t ready to leave, and was certainly not ready for my last year at Penn State.

Fraser Street

It was time for senior year, the one I had been dreading. Three years felt like three seconds, and suddenly, it was about to be over. For someone who loves Penn State as much as I do, I knew I had to soak it all in. We moved into, objectively, the best-located house in State College. I take maybe 10 steps, and I’m at Champs. Double that, and I’m at Doggie’s.

To Angie, Sarah, Elise, Caroline, and Grace, this was the best home I had in all four years here.

Back on the football beat, we added a new member to the crew. Mitch joined me, Mikey, Nolan, and CJ. With the Big Ten expanding, we ended up covering games all across the country. From mechanical bulls in Madison, showing the boys Los Angeles, an unexpected trip to Indy, a wild College Football Playoff run, and every place in between, we made each college town our home.

I also made Beaver Stadium my home. I had now spent two years shooting every single Penn State football game. I wasn’t ready to leave that place. That stadium built my entire career (so did CJ’s car for getting us to away games).

When football ended and I came back for the spring semester, I knew I had to soak in every last memory. From going out with friends all the time to working on a puzzle with my roommates during the power outage, everything felt like it mattered.

In February, I went to the Super Bowl to work with the NFL as a final part of my internship. The Eagles ended up winning, and I got to be on the field the entire time. It felt like life couldn’t get any better.

Now, I am ready to end this chapter of my life and begin my post-grad experience.

Being one of Onward State’s visual editors and getting to teach people about photography has been one of the best parts of my time here.

Podward State, the football beat, Penn State women’s lacrosse, Bellisario professors, every single person I’ve shared a football sideline with, Sam Brungo, my blog brothers Evan, Cooper, and Noah, my wonderful friends, DVSN, Doggie’s Fridays with My Hero Zero, Champs Saturdays, country nights at Pickles, Piano Fight Club — you all made this place my home.

Thank you to my family for supporting me through every step. My mom, dad, Chris, and obviously can’t forget Gracie (our dog who is pretty much a human), have watched me go through all phases of life, and I am so grateful to have a family that lets me reach for my dreams.

Although I lived in a new place every single year, each one became home in its own way, thanks to the people, the memories, and everything in between.

And thanks to Phillip Phillips for winning “American Idol” and giving us “Home.” I’ve been hearing it nonstop on porches around town this week, and it hits even harder now. The song meant a lot to me before, but now, it feels like it was written just for this.