The end of the year is here! We can all finally take a breather and enjoy the summer with our friends. But for others like Madeleine Nelson, some have to say goodbye.

Born in Amarillo, Texas, Madeleine made the move to Rocklin in early October of 2014. In Texas, she and her family attended Hillside Christian Church. Her family was good friends with the senior pastor, and when Adventure Church in Rocklin became a part of Hillside, the pastor asked them to make the move to support their Church.

When first told that her and her family were going to be living in California for a year, she was on the fence about it, saying, “I didn’t want to leave all of my friends and I knew it would be hard coming to a place I wasn’t familiar with. At the same time, I was sort of excited to come to a new place where I would get to meet new people and be close to places like Tahoe and San Francisco. Overall, I just felt a sort of peace about it and I think that was from God.”

Her first day at Rocklin High was overwhelming. She didn’t understand the grading schedule nor the “plus” period and had to catch up in the classes that she wanted to take. But the people she met compromised for her confusion. “I honestly didn’t expect all the people here to be so nice and friendly! Our first day here everyone we met was super open and inviting. I guess I just had this idea in my head that people in California couldn’t compete with ‘Texas hospitality,’ but I was definitely wrong.”

After settling in, Madeleine grew to like Rocklin, as a city and a school. She noted on how nice the weather is and the friendly and interesting people she met living here. She even joined the dance class that our school offers and even made the varsity track team in the Spring.

Even though she was living over 1,000 miles away, she was still able to keep in touch with her friends, who kept her in the loop of the events happening in her home town. Madeleine even visited her hometown a few times. She added that her favorite memory while living in Rocklin was having two friends come and watch her at the Thunder Invitational for Track.

Madeleine, who leaves sometime in August, is sad to leave Rocklin, but at the same time, is excited to move back to the place she calls home. While living on the west coast, she said she learned many important things, one of which gaining “a new understanding and empathy for the new kid. When I go back to Texas, I’ll definitely be more aware of what new kids are going through.”

Although she doesn’t see herself or her family moving back to Rocklin, she will always remember the adventure and keep in touch with the friends that she made along the way.