I attended the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. When I was choosing colleges, I focused on schools with strong marine biology programs because I was absolutely certain I wanted to become a marine biologist. Life had other plans — I didn’t end up as a marine biologist — and I’ve learned that the thing you dream about at seven isn’t always the thing you’re best at when you grow up.
At 16 I learned to scuba dive and later took a three-week diving trip to the British Virgin Islands. That trip made me even more convinced I wanted to study biology. One of my instructors, Will, taught at the College of Charleston. He rode a motorcycle and had a large scar from a nurse shark bite, which only made the school seem cooler to me. If the college had faculty like him, I figured it was where I belonged.
After narrowing my college list, my mom and I drove eight hours south to visit the campuses I was considering. We took I-95 and I-26 straight into downtown Charleston. I hadn’t even stepped out of the car before I knew that’s where I wanted to be. During the campus tour I barely listened — it didn’t matter: I was moving to Charleston. My mom urged me to apply to a few backup schools, which I did only because they didn’t ask for essays. I loved Charleston so much I would have moved there even if I hadn’t been accepted.
I love my husband enough to leave my favorite city for him, though I did insist that almost everyone connected to us — my family, my friends, his family, many of his friends, and my husband himself (who had been transferred to San Diego) — come back to Charleston for the wedding. It felt important to celebrate in the place I loved most.
By coincidence, the beach house we borrowed on Kiawah Island is just outside Charleston. This year my college roommate, who I believe loves Charleston as much as I do, suggested we stay an extra night in the city before heading to the beach. That gave us a chance to eat, walk, and take pictures without dragging the kids back from the shore. I think we’ll make that a yearly tradition — I’d love to capture a photo of my children in that alley every year.
Our hotel is the building right behind Evan. I’ve always wanted to stay there — and not just because I love that fountain.
That restaurant is where my college roommate and her husband got married, so of course we had to visit.
That pink house is the narrowest house in the city — under 15 feet wide. I’d move in immediately.