I grew up in Orinda, California but I was born in Dallas at Baylor Medical Center. I took my first steps and spoke my first words in our house 2 miles south of the SMU campus. While my family loved our time in Dallas, my dad got a new job when I was 18 months old and we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I don’t remember my first year and a half in Dallas but my parents always spoke fondly of their memories in Texas and we periodically came back to visit old friends and go to the State Fair. My parents and college counselor encouraged me to apply to SMU and I chose to come here in April 2014 after a long college decision process. I never thought I would come back to my old stomping grounds but now every family weekend fills my parents with nostalgia as we drive by old playgrounds and favorite restaurants. It’s amazing how much has changed and yet stayed the same in the last 18 years. For most of my life Dallas was just the birth city on my passport but now with the help of our old family friends and the new friends I’ve made here – Dallas has become home.
I’m halfway through my sophomore year and I can’t speak highly enough of my time in Dallas. I’ve gone to Mavericks and Stars game, countless concerts, had formals in Reunion Tower, met Tory Burch and I’ve made the closest friends I’ve ever had. I love walking around Bishop Arts District with my friends, grabbing brunch in Uptown on the weekends, and going to Central Market, my favorite grocery store. Living in Dallas is never boring because there are always sporting events and concerts to go to and new restaurants to try. Making Dallas my home again has been one of the best decisions I’ve made.
-Emma Bar