I came to Animas for the first six weeks of 2016, my sophomore year, before moving away. I have recently returned to Durango, and while knowing that my return was imminent, I tried my best to make it a surprise to everyone here. Of course, I ended up telling people anyways because I can't keep my own secrets half the time. Thankfully, I was accepted back at Animas. My reasons for coming here in the first place haven't changed in the least bit, other than the fact that I knew I was returning home and to the people I grew to know and love. I originally came because the idea of project based learning excited me and the teacher-student relationships were a definite plus to building up my trust in other people. Upon my arrival, I found something that I wasn't expecting to find pretty much anywhere. I found a welcoming atmosphere. Everywhere else, I was an outsider, but here I am, fitting in with others who are nothing like me at all. I've even discovered many different shades of my personality that I never knew even existed. That hasn't changed since then, and I couldn't possibly dream of asking for anything more than what I now have here.